Power of the Ancients
by general whitefur
Summary: Sa-Kathona, a world once inhabited by the Krazoa, has become the site of a tense stand off between the Cerinians and the Amanoi. Sa-Kathona possesses a secret that could alter the balance of power between the two factions irrevocably. When the exploration team on the surface goes missing it is up to Fox McCloud and Wolf O'Donnell to rescue them and prevent a war in the process.
1. Chapter 1

**Power of the Ancients**

 **By FurFur**

" _ **Monroe's Flying Aces, a mercenary squadron working for the Cerinian-Kathari Union, have gone missing on the planet Sa-Kathona, a world which possesses a secret that could fundamentally alter the balance of power in the galaxy. Above this formerly peaceful world in the Expanse, fleets belonging to the Cerinian-Kathari Union and the Amanoi Imperium have begun to gather, initiating a tense and deadly standoff as both sides attempt to contact their respective teams on the surface. Having agreed to send down mercenary teams not affiliated officially with either faction, Fox McCloud and Wolf O'Donnell have been hired to find the missing explorers. ..."**_

 **Chapter 1**

 _ **LFSC Lylat's Pride,**_

 _ **Lylatian Cruiser,**_

 _ **Lylat System,**_

Fox's Arwing cleared the hangar bay atmospheric shield of the Lylatian X-02 cruiser _Lylat's Pride,_ and settled down on the deck space cleared for it. Shutting down the systems one by one, Fox pulled his headset off and popped the canopy. He hopped down onto the cool metal plating of the deck and looked around. Pilots and mechanics were all tending to the ship's complement of AL5 Bottlenose starfighters, the newest iteration of fighter craft being deployed by the Lylat Federation Space Corps and Federation Army. Fox couldn't help but notice an urgency to their actions that went beyond simple maintenance and pilot perfectionism.

Turning his gaze forward he saw an arctic fox in the blue uniform of the Federation Space Corps approaching. Four rank pips just below his right shoulder indicated he held the rank of captain. Fox snapped off a casual half salute and said, "Permission to come aboard, captain Whitefur?"

Captain Boniface "Bonny" Whitefur returned the salute with a bit more snap. "Permission granted, welcome aboard. And lose the sir, you aren't military." Whitefur spoke with a clipped Grantham Isles accent, enunciating each word with the purpose and economy of a man bred of the nobility. Not that Cornerian nobility meant much these days. All they had left were their titles. Titles that bore no political advantage, even if they provided a certain degree of prestige.

"Thanks. You know how much I hate saluting," Fox replied, glancing around the hangar again. "Though you've obviously done well for yourself. Your own ship in six years?"

"Let's call it a meteoric rise and leave it at that," Boniface answered with a grimace. "Besides, my rapid rise is hardly unique. The war left a lot of good officers dead, and a lot of seats vacant."

"Yeah." Fox nodded solemnly. No one had to remind Fox McCloud of the losses suffered in the five years Lylat had been at war with Andross. His father had been killed in the final battle of the war, betrayed by Pigma Dengar, a member of his team. Pigma had died in the same battle, the victim of Peppy Hare's determined vengeance. But the damage had been done, leaving Fox's mother, Vixy, widowed, and Fox to take up the mantle of the Star Fox team. In the four years since the war Fox and his companions had made a name for themselves to rival that of the original team, but there were times Fox still ached to hear his father's voice, and to ask his advice. Breaking himself from his reverie before it turned into melancholy Fox asked, "So, what is this about?"

"Let's head to the bridge, shall we? I'll brief you on the way," Boniface told him. He turned around and started walking, Fox keeping pace next to him. Reaching into the pocket of his uniform the arctic fox pulled out a small datapad and handed it to Fox. "This is where we're heading."

Scrolling through the information Fox's ears perked in recognition of the world. "Sa- Kathona. I've heard about it."

"Pillow talk with Krystal?" Boniface asked, his tone half serious.

"Something like that," Fox replied, remembering back to the animated conversations he'd had with Krystal as she told him about the latest archeological finds. Well, she'd been animated, Fox's eyes had glazed over pretty fast, and he'd spent most of the time nodding and trying not to look down her shirt. "Lots of Krazoa ruins, right?"

"Right," Boniface confirmed. "And that is directly related to what's going on there now. Been watching the newsfeeds the past couple of days?"

"I haven't been stuck in an airport recently," Fox said, his tone joking, "So no."

"Well, for those of us paying attention to the galaxy, Sa-Kathona is turning into one big crisis area."

Boniface hit the button to call the turbolift for the bridge. He watched out of the corner of his eye as Fox scrolled through the information on his pad. There were a collection of headlines, plus various intelligence reports, and images taken over the past two days. The doors to the lift opened and both of them stepped in. Boniface hit the button for the bridge and the lift began moving.

Looking up from the datapad Fox shook his head. "Holy shit. I have been out of it."

"Your whole team has been," Boniface stated, letting a little bit of frustration seep into his voice. Truthfully he and his ship should have been on their way to Sa-Kathona by now, but Fox and his team had caused a delay. "It took us hours to track you down and contact you."

A bit of color came to Fox's ears. To hear even a hint of frustration in his friend's otherwise perfectly controlled countenance was a rare and significant thing. He knew that Boniface likely felt about ten times as stressed out and frustrated as he was letting on. "Sorry about that," Fox said, knowing just how weak his excuse would be. "We were...vacationing. Hard."

Rolling his eyes Boniface said, "A bender of epic proportions? I thought you didn't drink."

Fox blushed a bit more, and his ears folded back against his skull. "I started drinking in social situations. Krystal loosened me up a little."

"I see." Boniface smiled a bit. "Fara thought she would."

Seeing that his friend's frustration with him was clearing up Fox's ears ticked back up to their normal position. "She knows me too well."

"She does indeed." Boniface glanced at the lift controls and a moment later they opened up to reveal the bridge. Boniface strode onto it, projecting an image of calm and confidence for his crew. Each of them sat or stood at their stations, working quietly and efficiently. In the center seat commander Moreau, a Doberman who served as Boniface's first officer, stood and said, "Captain on the bridge."

Everyone stood and turned towards him. Boniface waved them back to their stations. "As you were." Looking over at the helm station Boniface said, "Lieutenant Harrison, set a course for the Sa-Kathona system, maximum warp."

"Aye sir," Harrison replied, deftly executing the already plotted and laid in course. She looked up just in time to see the stars streak and then blend together. "ETA to target planet is nine point one hours, sir."

"Excellent." Boniface looked towards Moreau. "You have the bridge commander, I'll be in my ready room." Turning back to Fox, Boniface hooked a thumb towards the door to the side of the bridge. "Come with me."

Fox followed Boniface into his ready room. The door slid shut behind them and he took in the decor. A painting of the Lylat System occupied the main wall. A fish tank with an exotic Aquan catfish sat near the window, and a small bookshelf contained a selection of soft and hardcover books. "Nice."

"Thank you," Boniface replied, taking a seat on the couch, rather than behind the desk. "Have a seat."

Fox looked between the couch and the desk, then asked, "If you're not using it, can I sit behind the desk?"

"No," Boniface answered flatly.

With a shrug Fox sat down on the couch next to Boniface. "So, the Cerinian-Kathari Union and the Amanoi Imperium are pointing guns at each other. Why?" Fox asked, referring to the information he'd gleaned from the datapad.

"There was a joint expedition to the planet surface. An archeological dig. It seems that, while on the planet surface they found something. A KeyStone. Then they disappeared, and the Union and Imperium warped fleets in. They arrived at the same time and promptly began pointing guns at each other," Boniface informed him.

Fox, looking nonplussed, said, "Oh come on. They've done this before. They're bluffing each other."

Boniface shook his head. "Not this time. The KeyStone being involved changes everything."

"Okay, so what is it?" Fox asked. He remembered vaguely a conversation where Krystal had told him about something like this. But beyond the memory of having had the conversation he couldn't remember very much.

Taking a breath Boniface said, "According to the Cerinians it is a device that could allow them to activate and control all the Krazoa tech that's been sitting dormant on their planet for the past million years. If that turns out to be true and the Cerinians get their hands on it, it would fundamentally alter the balance of power in the galaxy."

Fox thought about it for a moment, then said, "At least it'd be in our favor."

"Possibly."

"What do you mean?" Fox asked. "If the Union gets their hands on all that advanced technology it sounds like it'd be a good thing for our alliance."

"I mean," Boniface said, "That the Amanoi Imperium is making preparations to mobilize for a general war. Our diplomats in their capital on Aurelius have informed us that, should the Cerinian-Kathari Union get their hands on the device, the Imperium will immediately declare war in the name of self preservation."

"Well...crap." Fox slumped against the couch.

"And I don't have to tell you what that would mean for the Federation, and the Androssian Empire," Boniface added, dampening the mood in the room even further.

Nodding, Fox said, "War. Sometimes it seems like strong allies are more trouble than they're worth."

Boniface chuckled. "I have a feeling Andross is thinking much the same thing right now. But there's more bad news."

"That wasn't all the bad news?" Fox looked at Boniface balefully. "The biggest astro-political crisis since the Saurian Insurrection isn't the only bad news?"

"I'm afraid so." Boniface paused for a handful of heartbeats, then said, "Katt and her team are some of the ones missing on Sa-Kathona."

The news hit Fox like a ton of bricks. Fox stared at Boniface, then whispered, "Krystal?"

Leaning forward a bit and trying to appear comforting Boniface told him, "We've had no contact with her, the team, or the joint exploration group they were escorting, for about forty-eight hours."

"I see." Fox did his best to shake himself out of the shock he was feeling. He'd talked to her last week. Everything had been fine. They'd been planning to take a few days together in Corneria City. Spend some time in town, see a play, and spend the nights locked together in bed. "Has anyone bothered sending down a search and rescue party?"

Boniface heaved a sigh. "There's a problem with that."

"Of course there is."

"Both sides are accusing the other of kidnapping and holding the exploration team hostage on the surface."

"Oh for fuck's sake," Fox groaned, rubbing his eyes. He suddenly felt tired. Why couldn't people just get along? "This is the whole Kursed thing? The blood feud? God damn, and I thought the Androssians were paranoid delusional."

"Well, that's the nature of the cultural beast I'm afraid." Boniface shook his head. He could well understand his friend's frustration. He shared it. It seemed that at times, despite all the progress that had been made, conflict still came down to a basic sort of tribalism, divided along cultural or species lines. Whether it was the Cerinians and the Amanoi, the dinosaurs on Sauria, or the ongoing conflict between the Eladardian colonists on Titania against the native sand cats. After a brief pause Boniface continued, "Neither side is willing to let the other land troops, fearing they'd be 'reinforcing' a military expedition on the planet."

"I hate politics," Fox stated. "So, I'm here because?"

"The Federation, along with the Androssian Empire, have managed to broker an agreement by which a single mercenary will be allowed on the surface, representing each side. They'll be paid for by the Federation and the Empire, as a means of showing their impartiality."

"So I'm the Fed's mercenary," Fox guessed. "Because I'm sure as hell not taking any of Andross's money."

"Don't worry, the president will be signing your check at the end of this," Boniface assured him.

"Good ol' Agnus. What happens if I run into trouble down there, all by my lonesome?" Fox asked.

"We'll be monitoring you from orbit," Boniface told him. "Both myself and my Androssian counterpart will have away teams standing by, but, and you'll love this, Sa-Kathona is considered holy ground by both sides, so non-Cerinian/Kathari/Amanoi aren't allowed in any significant numbers."

Fox let out a long, drawn out sigh. "In other words, you can't land a battalion?"

"Afraid not," Boniface replied. "Don't worry. The team should be large enough for a hot extraction if it comes to that." Boniface paused, then went on, "However, if it does come down to that, I think it's fair to say that the shooting will have started in orbit already."

"Great. Who's my partner from the other side of the glass onion?"

This was the part that Boniface, shamefully, had been looking forward to. He didn't wish this on Fox, but he knew his friend's reaction to the name would be priceless. Taking the datapad from Fox he tapped it and brought up the mission personnel profile. "You know him quite well actually." Boniface handed the pad back to Fox.

Fox took it and stared down at the screen. A name, image, and dossier were displayed. The moment he saw it his heart nearly stopped and he sucked in a breath. His tail went stiff and his ears folded back in agitation. "Oh. No. Mother-"

* * *

 _ **Sargasso Space Hideout,**_

 _ **Sargasso Region,**_

 _ **Lylat System,**_

Hidden in the depths of the Sargasso sector of the Lylatian asteroid belt, the Sargasso Space Hideout had once been an asteroid mining and refinement plant. It had been abandoned fifty odd years ago when the most profitable asteroids in the region had been tapped out. Afterwards it had lain silent and dormant, its systems on standby in case its owners should wish to return and make use of it again. Not long after its abandonment it had been reactivated and claimed by the criminal class of the Lylat System. Now, rather than mining precious minerals from the rocks that floated around it, it featured a bustling black market economy. Arms, drugs, and other illegal substances and equipment could be requisitioned here for the right price. And, should one wish to relax between smuggling missions the Hideout offered numerous bars and taverns, as well as clubs of ill repute, and a fully functional casino for those who preferred to waste their money on games of chance.

Overseeing it all was Star Wolf, a criminal empire larger than any in Lylat, and possibly the galaxy. Star Wolf had its hand in every trade to be found on Sargasso. And, without the approval of Lord Wolf O'Donnell, son of the legendary Lupus O'Donnell, now a legend in his own right, there would be no way to set up a business on the Hideout. Thus, the one criminal enterprise not to be found on Sargasso was trade in sentient beings. Neither Wolf nor his father had approved of the trade, and thus maintained a tense relationship with the Corvax V Syndicate, a collection of criminal cartels operating on the planet Corvax V in the Expanse. Several of the members of the Syndicate specialised in the sentient beings trade, and saw the O'Donnells as infringing on their ability to conduct free enterprise in the Lylat system. Wolf could care less. His father had told the Syndicate any one of their ships he caught in his territory would be seized and its cargo released, and Wolf maintained that policy.

In the upper levels of the station, in a room lit by dim ceiling lights, Wolf O'Donnell paced in a circle. He wore no shirt, and only short leggings. His hard, rugged body glistened with sweat, and his artificial eye had been set to help enhance his sight in the low lighting. In his hands he held a quarterstaff. "So, what's her name?" he asked the superbly muscled, and impressively graceful, black furred feline across from him.

"Chandra," replied Panther Caroso. "Gorgeous lioness."

"Huh. I prefer vixens and she-wolves myself." Wolf jerked his staff at Panther, probing his opponent's defenses. Panther's feline grace and reflexes lended themselves much more to this more artful style of fighting. In addition to the quarterstaff, he knew Panther was quite skilled with a rapier. And it was for this reason that Wolf enjoyed training with him. Everytime he fought Panther in close quarters he learned something new. Just as Panther's marksmanship had improved radically since he'd begun training regularly with Wolf, so too had Wolf's close combat skills improved since he'd started training with Panther.

Not reacting to Wolf's defensive probes Panther continued circling his boss. Each time his feet made contact with the floor not even the quietest of sounds could be heard. Panther prided himself on his stealthiness. "Vixens are certainly delicious," Panther replied, ignoring the pleasant memories that it brought up in his mind.

Wolf took a swing just as Panther finished talking. "You still after McCloud's girl?"

Blocking the attack with a minimum of effort Panther responded with a coy, "Maybe."

"Taking your own life in your hands going after her," Wolf replied, shaking his head.

Tail lashing behind him Panther grinned and said, "And yet still she seems worth the risk."

Wolf would have rolled his one good eye if he hadn't been so focused on watching for Panther's next move. "Uh huh. Stick with the local tail, that's an order. Last thing I need is McCloud coming over here just to deck you."

Panther nodded and made a mental note to delete the twenty-four pages of love poetry he'd been planning to send her. An order was an order. Then, with his typical catlike speed, Panther attacked. His staff moved in a blur, striking at every weak point he could see. Much to his surprise and pride Wolf parried each attack. He really was learning.

Seeing that he'd taken the brunt of the feline's attack and survived Wolf decided to counterattack. Though not quite as fast as Panther he loaded each strike with every bit of muscle he could. Panther blocked and dodged, jumping over a strike aimed at his shins.

Not for the first time Panther found himself admiring the raw power that Wolf O'Donnell could muster at a moment's notice. Though he lacked a certain degree of precision Wolf was making up for it with brute force. Panther dodged a strike, but miscalculated by a hair the distance he needed to go. Wolf landed a strike on the inside of his thigh, close enough to his groin that Panther actually felt a brief stab of fear. "Oof." Panther hopped back, taking up a defensive stance and circling to the lupine's left. "Careful boss, you know you'd miss it if it were out of commission."

Wolf snorted at Panther's remark. "One fucking night and you never let me live it down." He should have seen that coming. Panther's mind functioned on two things: expensive purchases and sex. So such a remark hardly came as a surprise. The real surprise to Wolf was that it still made his ears burn. He'd never felt particularly ashamed of that one night, even if he'd sworn Panther to secrecy the moment he'd woken up the next day.

Seeing that he was getting under Wolf's fur Panther decided to press the advantage. "You moaned so loud boss," he teased with a smirk.

Snarling Wolf launched into another attack, even more ferocious than his last. "I was drunk. You took advantage of me." Wolf knew that that wasn't completely true, but it was the first response that came to mind.

Parrying and dodging with almost superfeline speed Panther reveled in having gotten to Wolf. Good, his attack was already getting a bit sloppy as he tried to channel his embarrassment into something useful. "Excuses excuses. We were all drunk that night," Panther reminded him.

Grunting Wolf managed to batter his way through Panther's defenses, landing a strike on his shoulder. "You going easy on me?" Wolf asked. It was unusual for him to be doing this well.

"Not since that night," Panther replied, only half-truthfully. The first hit to his thigh had been Wolf's work, but letting him tap his shoulder had just been meant as a confidence booster. Not that Panther would admit that under anything but the most extreme duress.

"Fucking A," Wolf growled. The tease.

"Mmm, and what an A you had that night," Panther replied, purring loudly at the annoyed expression on Wolf's face.

"God damn it Panther!"

Wolf attacked again, a flurry of fast, strong, but graceless blows. The smile Panther had been wearing during the exchange turned predatory as he saw his opening. Sidestepping he

brought his staff low to the ground and swept Wolf's legs out from under him. Wolf fell face first to the ground, and as he rolled onto his back Panther jumped on him and straddled him, keeping him from getting back up. He put his staff to the lupine's neck and said, triumphantly, "I believe the match goes to me. Again."

Looking up at him, his gaze defiant, Wolf said, "Get your ass, off my chest."

Panther cocked an eyebrow. "Yield?"

"Never again," Wolf answered. "But fine, you win this round."

Chuckling Panther got off him and helped Wolf to his feet. "Rematch?"

Wolf opened his muzzle to answer just as the comm panel in the room beeped. He held up a finger and walked over. Wolf tapped the answer button. "O'Donnell."

His voice coming through tinged with static, courtesy of the station's ancient comm system, Leon Powalski said, "Boss, we've got an Androssian attack carrier coming in. They say they want to talk to you."

Grabbing a pair of towels from the bench Panther tossed one in Wolf's direction as he began wiping the sweat from his fur. Wolf grabbed the towel in mid air and started doing the same. "Yeah, okay. I'll be right up." Ending the call he looked over at Panther. "Good match. I had fun."

"Same boss," Panther replied, walking closer and tapping Wolf on the rear. His signal that he'd only been messing with Wolf.

Wolf returned the gesture and said, "Come on, let's go see what the the all mighty Emperor's minions want with us."

* * *

Wolf sat in his office, feet propped up on his desk. Panther and Leon stood to either side of him. Privately Wolf wished he could have showered before getting dressed. But since the Androssians were already docking he'd barely had time to get his usual leather vest and pants on.

"I keep telling you to get this place redecorated," Panther said, glancing around at the room's Spartan decor.

"Why I keep making sure not to do it," Wolf replied, his tail twitching. He hated dealing with Androssians. He hated dealing with the Federation too, so holier-than-thou. But something about the Androssians and their whole philosophy of 'enlightened' rule rubbed him the wrong way. He shook his head. Philosophy shouldn't have made a difference to him, all that mattered was the money. _But if that's true why did my dad and I make such a point not to do sentient trafficking?_

"Honor, boss," Panther said, looking down at Wolf. He could always tell when Wolf was wrestling with his conscience. "Androssians and the Syndicate have one thing in common. No honor."

Wolf nodded. "Right. Thanks Caroso."

"No problem boss," Panther replied.

The doors to the office opened a moment later and a straight backed ape wearing the traditional red command visor of the Androssian Imperial Space Navy walked in. His uniform was crisp and pressed, proudly displaying the red letter A on the left breast. The Androssian walked right up to the desk and said, "I am captain Conrad of the ISN _Enlightenment_. I assume you are Wolf O'Donnell?"

"Lord O'Donnell, actually," Wolf corrected him. He'd had this conversation before with every Androssian officer he'd dealt with before now. He would have it with every Androssian officer he dealt with in the future. Honor and in many cases courtesy was everything, and at least the Federation types he dealt with were willing to respect the title.

"The Empire does not recognize your claim to a noble title," Conrad replied, his voice dripping with disdain. Clearly he thought dealing with criminals and ostracized nobles beneath him.

"Uh huh. If I recall you don't recognize any noble titles," Wolf commented.

"Yes." Conrad nodded, though he continued to stand stiffly and look down his nose at him. "Such titles are unenlightened."

"And yet Andross is called emperor." Wolf always liked throwing that little bit of irony at them. Even if they always had a ready made answer. His tail wagged in anticipation of the ridiculous statement he knew was coming.

Frowning, Conrad said, "He is the Emperor." He put a special emphasis on _the_ as if galactic history weren't riddled with petty thugs and delusional geniuses that had all claimed that title at one point or another. The Androssians possessed a remarkable lack of awareness when it came to those sorts of things.

Wolf waved off the statement and motioned towards the chair in front of his desk. "Whatever you say. Have a seat."

Conrad didn't even glance at the chair. "I prefer to stand."

"Suit yourself." Wolf tipped his head back to look at Panther, the feline giving him a toothy smile. Panther had bet Wolf twenty credits that that would be the response. _Damn you,_ Wolf thought. Looking back at Conrad Wolf asked, "What can I do for you, then? I assume you didn't fly all the way out here to debate the merits of noble titles."

"The Empire has need of your services," Conrad replied.

"My organization is at your disposal," Wolf answered, his tail twitching in satisfaction. It felt good to be needed, and even better to hear it coming from the mouth of a stiffnecked Imperial like the one standing in front of him. "Assuming, of course, that we can agree on a price."

"The price is of no concern, this is a matter of paramount importance," Conrad said. "And you misunderstand. We have no need for your organization at this time. Rather, we require your services. Personally."

Wolf exchanged glances with both Panther and Leon. Panther shrugged, Leon blinked. "Oh?"

Reaching into his uniform Conrad pulled out a datapad and set it on the desk. "A situation has developed in the Expanse. A world called Sa-Kathona."

Interesting. Wolf looked at Leon. "Uninhabited. Formerly under the dominion of the Krazoa. Substantial ruins. First discovered about sixty years ago, and declared a neutral site as part of the Galactic Heritage Agreement. The Cerinian-Kathari Union and the Amanoi Imperium are currently locked in a standoff in orbit," Leon rattled off. Not for the first time Wolf found himself grateful for Leon's near perfect recall ability.

Taking his legs off the desk Wolf reached for the pad. He scrolled through it, skimming the things that popped out at him. "Mm. So, what do you need me for?"

"A team of Amanoi and Cerinian scientists have gone missing on the surface," Conrad explained. "The Amanoi believe they have been taken hostage by Monroe's Flying Aces, a mercenary team..."

Wolf held up a hand, forestalling the rest of Conrad's explanation. "I know who they are. They're the Union's knockoff of Star Fox."

"Indeed." Conrad nodded. "We have negotiated an agreement along with the Lylat Federation to allow a mercenary individual onto the surface. One from each side to carry out a search and rescue operation."

Two people for a search and rescue op? Wolf didn't like the sound of that. Then again, this was a chance for him to get out and get his hands dirty. He'd been going nuts stuck on the station running a criminal empire that was functioning all too smoothly. A little action would be good for him. And any world in the Expanse could be expected to yield quite a bit of action. There was just one thing he wanted to know before he signed on. "Why me?"

"The Emperor believed you would be the best choice, considering the man the Federation has chosen," Conrad said.

Looking up from datapad Wolf asked, "Who?"

Conrad almost smiled as he said, "Fox McCloud."

* * *

 _ **LFSC Lylat's Pride,**_

 _ **Sa-Kathona System,**_

 _ **The Expanse,**_

The bridge was quiet. All hands were looking out the viewscreen at the armada in orbit of Sa-Kathona. The Cerinian-Kathari vessels were each of a design unique to the individual ship, but with elements such as rounded lines and ornately stenciled hulls being shared across all of them. The hulls were each stenciled with marks of patron goddesses, and symbols representing heroes from Cerinian and Kathari mythology. Fox recalled a conversation with Fara where she had noted that Cerinian vessels weren't so much pieces of engineering as they were works of art.

Opposite the Cerinian-Kathari vessels were the ships belonging to the Amanoi. These vessels also possessed the curvatures and ornate designs of their opponents, though the designs were more standardized, and were obviously intended to strike fear in the hearts of their opponents. Long, sloping wings extended from the primary hull of each vessel, and the command section jutted out from the center, giving it the appearance of a beak. This, in combination with the wings, made each vessel look something like a non-sapient bird of prey

Alongside _Lylat's Pride_ Fox could see an Androssian attack carrier hovering just beyond what would be the killzone for the two fleets. The Androssian ship possessed none of the artfulness or aesthetic design of the Cerinian-Kathari, Amanoi, or even the Federation ship. Instead it was blocky, painted red and grey, and utilitarian in design. It was a ship meant to be mass produced in as high a number as possible. And, it was worth noting, the attack carrier design was among the most common in the Androssian fleet, performing a wide range of duties including ship to ship combat, transport, and patrol and escort missions.

"That is a lot of ships," Fox observed.

Sitting in his command chair Boniface nodded. "Two dozen total. All of them top of the line. Like I said, they aren't messing around this time."

"Looks that way," Fox agreed.

The comm officer turned from her station to face Boniface. "Sir? We're getting a signal from the Androssian ship. Captain Conrad would like a word."

"On screen," Boniface instructed.

A second later an image of the simian captain of the Androssian ship appeared, overlaying itself on the view of the two fleets. "Captain Conrad, what can I do for you?" Boniface asked, keeping his voice measured, controlled, and polite, despite his personal distaste for anyone flying under Andross's banner.

Conrad responded in kind, his voice echoing from the ship's speakers with an almost synthetically precise modulation. "Mr. O'Donnell is in his fighter and prepared to launch for the surface."

Fox forced down a smirk at the "Mr." He could well imagine Wolf's frustration at his title not being recognized. He'd have to remember that one.

"I suggest you order your mercenary to do the same so we can get this over with," Conrad continued.

"I'm just 'the mercenary?'" Fox asked, feeling a bit indignant. It was bad enough being called Star Fox as if it were his name, but even that was better than just 'the mercenary'.

"Don't make this difficult," Boniface muttered in his direction, clearly not in the mood for a verbal sparring session.

Ignoring him, Fox said, "I'm Fox McCloud, just so you know. And I'm on my way to the hangar right now." With that he spun on his heels and strode off the bridge, his irritation following him like a black storm cloud.

Boniface shook his head. The universe certainly had a cruel sense of humor. First forcing the Federation and the Androssians to work together to prevent a war, and then forcing Fox to work with Wolf to the same end. He found himself wondering if it was naive of him to hope for the best in this situation. "Good luck Fox," he whispered, then turned back to Conrad. He had his orders. Prevent a war. And he'd do whatever it took to accomplish his mission.

* * *

 _ **ISN Enlightenment,**_

 _ **Sa-Kathona System,**_

 _ **The Expanse,**_

Wolf sat in his cockpit, twiddling his thumbs and trying not to be bored out his skull. He'd run through his preflight checklist twice, then he'd done it a third time just to give himself something to do. He'd considered hooking up to Star Wolf's secure network and checking on how things were going back on Sargasso, and seeing if any of the current operations were running into problems, but he'd stopped himself. Leon could handle it, which was why he'd made him his number two years ago. The last thing he needed was the make the anti-social freak think that his boss thought he couldn't handle the operation without him looking over his shoulder. The only other thing he could do was check up on what Panther was up to, but he had a feeling he already knew. And Panther had an annoying habit of answering calls even while right in the middle of...things. Wolf shook his head. Panther did not lack for self-confidence. And he seemed to possess absolutely no sense of shame. At least it made things interesting. "Dammit Fox, taking your sweet time, aren't you?" Wolf grumbled to himself.

Just as the words left his mouth his commline beeped and the voice of the bridge flight controller for the _Enlightenment_ filled the cockpit. "Mr. O'Donnell, you are go for launch. Be safe down there."

"Acknowledged bridge, I'm heading out. And it's Lord O'Donnell, by the way," Wolf corrected. With that he cut the link and flew out as the hangar doors finished opening.

Activating his scanners Wolf looked for Fox's Arwing. "There you are." He spotted it and opened a channel, flying up alongside his new partner. "What's up Star Fox?"

"I told you that's not my name," Fox said, his irritation palpable.

Wolf grinned as he matched Fox's velocity. "I know, but I love how much it pisses you off when people call you that."

"Look, if we're going to work together," Fox replied, "Could you try not to be a total ass?"

That got a chuckle out of Wolf. His tail wagged in the small space behind his cockpit chair. "Only if you promise not to be a little bitch."

Fox's sigh was loud enough to cause a hint of static on the commline. "Yeah. Screw off."

"Awww, McCloud," Wolf responded, his voice dripping with amused sarcasm, "You wound me. Race you to the planet surface."

"You better not start talking like Panther," Fox groused. "Oh and, eat my ionized plasma."

Fox's Arwing boosted ahead, pouring on speed with a rate of acceleration Wolf had never seen with an Arwing. "I didn't say go," Wolf complained.

"I didn't either," Fox shot back. "I guess we both suck at racing."

Wolf would have growled in frustration if he weren't so impressed by the Arwing's continuing acceleration. "You really are going to be a bitch this whole time, aren't you?"

The crooked smile on Fox's face could be heard through the commline. "Like you've always said, fucking foxes."

"Yep," Wolf replied. "Sassy ass bitches."

"I'm glad we understand each other. And, by the way, if that's your idea of speed, you really are getting old," Fox said, continuing the verbal jab fest.

This time Wolf did let out a frustrated growl. He'd show this pitiful little upstart what a Wolfen could do. "Oh you'll regret saying that pup," he replied, accelerating to max thrust, pushing his G-diffusers to the absolute limit.

Ahead of him Fox's Arwing simply put on a bit more acceleration, and Wolf found himself being quickly left behind. "Man, who designed that thing?" Fox asked. "It's like you're flying a tank."

 _Why the hell did I sign up for this?_ Wolf wondered to himself.

"See you on the planet surface," Fox continued. "I'll have the tent pitched and the beer chilled when you get there."  
That caught Wolf by surprise. "I thought you didn't drink."

"I've learned to make some exceptions," Fox replied.

"Shame," Wolf responded. "You were cuter when you didn't."

"Ohh be still my beating heart, bad boy O'Donnell thinks I'm cute," Fox said with a poorly done southern Corneria twang.

"Sheesh." Wolf rolled his one good eye, silently cursing the fact that he was losing to Fox. The mission had barely even begun. "How does your species get laid?"

"We're kinky," Fox replied, his tone so serious Wolf actually had to stop himself for asking for specifics. "Entering the atmosphere in twenty seconds. We'll lose comms on initial contact, so say goodbye to my melodious voice."

"I'm crying already," Wolf said, letting the derision seep into his gruff voice.

"Try not to short out your artificial eye," Fox told him. "I'm sending you the coordinates for our landing site. I'll reestablish comms on the ground."

"Copy," Wolf said, a mild sense of relief settling on him at the thought of not having to hear Fox for the next few minutes. "See you down there."

* * *

 _ **Joint Exploration Team Camp Site,**_

 _ **Planet surface,**_

 _ **Sa-Kathona**_

Activating his Arwing's anti-grav repulsors Fox brought his fighter down with a gentle bump. Shutting down the main systems he popped the canopy and hopped to the ground. He took a look around. The campsite didn't look to be in good shape. Tables were flipped over, tents fallen, and debris strewn about. "What the hell happened here?"

Fox's ears perked up as he heard the sound of a Wolfen touching down. The engines wound down and Wolf O'Donnell jumped to the ground. The lupine looked around, then said, "Man, somebody oughta teach these guys proper campground etiquette."

"What would you know about etiquette?" Fox asked, heading back to his Arwing and opening the cargo compartment. He took out a plasma rifle and particle beam sidearm.

"More than you pup," Wolf said a bit caustically. "More than you."

"Yeah, sure. Mr. O'Donnell." Slinging the rifle over one arm and stowing the sidearm in the holster on his hip Fox took out his backpack. He set it on the ground and began checking to make sure he had everything they'd need.

Pinching the bridge of his nose Wolf said, "Look, Fox. I know we both hate each other, but if we're going to find your friends and complete the mission, you really need to stop sniping at me."

"I'm not the only one sniping," Fox said, looking up at the older lupine. Standing up he slung his backpack on. "But fine, I'll stop if it's too much for you."

Wolf growled in frustration. "Fucking pups. You done?"

"Yeah." Fox looked a bit abashed. He should have been better than this. Just because their fathers had been rivals didn't mean they had to keep it going the way they did. _Except he's a crimelord and pirate captain who's sworn he'll take me down one day. And...well, I kinda vowed the same thing. Dammit._ "Yeah I'm done. Let's focus on finding something to point us in the right direction."

"If we do find a clue," Wolf said, taking his own supplies from his Wolfen, "How are we gonna get there? Jungle covers everything in all directions for, what? Half the continent? Which means no viable landing sites besides this one."

"I know." Fox started searching the campground. "We'll just have to hoof it."

"Right," Wolf replied, keeping the disappointment from his voice. Hoofing it through the jungle. That'd be fun for sure. Especially with Fox McCloud for his only company.

As if he felt the need to remind him of how bad his torture was going to be, Fox said, "And, by the way, I could have made another joke about your age right there, but I didn't."

"Thanks." Wolf shook his head. "Remind me to buy you a cookie."

"Sugar please," Fox responded absently. He walked over to one of the collapsed tents. He thought he could see something blinking under the canvas.

"Riight," Wolf said with a sigh. "You find anything?"

Peeling back a layer of fallen canvas Fox prized the datapad from the ground and started scrolling through the information on display. "Maybe." He paused when he saw what looked like a map with a route marked on it. "Huh."

"What is it?" Wolf asked, walking over and peering over Fox's shoulder.

"According to this they were headed for a temple somewhere in the jungle. It has a map of their route." The pad beeped, indicating a lower power level. "You got a spare powerpack?"

"Sure," Wolf said, heading back to his Wolfen. "Last thing we need is the map dying on us. How deep into the jungle were they heading?"

Fox took another look at the map. "Pretty deep."

Grabbing the powerpack out of the storage compartment, and grabbing a few spares for his backpack just in case, Wolf looked over at the thick, creeping foliage. "Well, this is gonna be fun."

* * *

A/N: Hey all! FurFur is back! I mean, you probably guessed that by the whole chapter you hopefully just read. Real quick I just want to share some minor details about this story.

This story, along with several other stories I've been planning during my absence, is set in my own AU. I basically spent a week tailoring my own version of Lylat to meet my own specifics writing needs. I've mapped out a lot of backstory and details on things ranging from planets and governments, to characters and events. It's eliminated a lot of the randomness I've felt with my world building in the past, and I hope it will come across in the stories as well.

I'll be setting to work on chapter two in the next couple of days, and I'll hopefully be able to maintain at least two updates a month. No promises. Could be more, could be less, it all depends on how life treats me.

I'll keep these notes at the bottom so that when you see an update you can just start right in. I hope you enjoyed, and don't forget to leave a review or drop a follow/fav!

-general whitefur


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

 _ **LFSC Lylat's Pride**_

 _ **Sa-Kathona System**_

 _ **The Expanse**_

Visible through the window of Boniface Whitefur's ready room, Sa-Kathona rotated slowly on its axis. Standing there, leaning against the window frame, the arctic fox tried to find the sight of the planet below him wondrous and calming. Instead it only provoked a brief flash of anxiety, and the knowledge that down there, somewhere, was a device so valuable people were willing to start an interstellar war over it.

He let out a soft sigh. His own ship in six years. It didn't seem so long ago that he'd been a lieutenant junior grade assigned to the LFSC _Standing Up_ in the final year of the Lylat War. A few months into his deployment his ship had been part of a fleet making its way through Sector Y, attempting to cut off a vital Androssian supply line. The fleet had been ambushed, suffering heavy casualties. _Standing Up_ was among the first ships to be hit in the initial barrage of missiles and laserfire. Then a group of Androssian space mechs had strafed the vessel, and the bridge viewscreen had been blown out before the shields could be raised. Boniface had been lucky enough to have something to hold onto, allowing him to avoid being sucked out into space long enough for the emergency force field to activate and life support to restore pressure. By sheer dumb luck-or bad luck, depending on one's perspective-he had been the only surviving officer of any experience left on the bridge. He'd taken command.

His ship had been badly damaged, but she hadn't been knocked out of the fight just yet. An Androssian carrier was flying nearby, and had made the mistake of assuming the _Standing Up_ had been completely disabled. Boniface ordered all hands to abandon ship, then he'd taken control of the ship's helm. Using what engine power he had he set a collision course for the carrier. Knowing he wouldn't be able to reach an escape pod in time, he'd gone for a storage locker he knew would contain vacuum suits. He sealed himself in one of the bulky space suits, deactivated the bridge's emergency containment field, and jumped out into space, barely managing to use the tiny thrusters on his suit to get clear of the ensuing collision and explosion.

After that he'd floated in space, watching the battle unfold through his limited field of vision. He mostly focused on taking shallow breaths. The fleet managed to fight its way out of the ambush, helped by the arrival of Star Fox and a group of reserve vessels scrambled from a nearby staging area. He'd been picked up by the LFSC _Requiem_ , commanded by rear admiral Nadira Hatch, future chief of staff for the Lylat Federation Space Corps. And so began his meteoric rise through the ranks, until now, six years after what his girlfriend Fara Phoenix referred to as "the stupidest thing you've ever done", he was commanding his own ship, in orbit above a world in the Expanse, trying to prevent a war that would drag in the Federation, the Androssian Empire, and probably most other members of the interstellar community. _Why do I have the feeling that I'm in over my aristocratic head?_

The comm panel on his desk beeped and Boniface turned to his desk. He tapped the answer button and said, "Whitefur."

" _Sir,"_ it was the comm officer, _"Incoming transmission for you from Command. Timestamp indicates a nine hour time lag."_

"Understood, put it through to me here," Whitefur replied, grimacing at the mention of the time lag. Unlike the explored and inhabited space surrounding Lylat and her neighbors, the Expanse lacked the sophisticated and interconnected series of comm outposts, relay stations, and subspace amplifiers that made instant communication possible. Instead, they had to rely on unrelayed, unenhanced subspace radio bursts, which, though infinitely faster than a standard radio burst, were still deathly slow for a situation like this.

Sitting down in his chair he tapped the play button on the comm panel. The face of admiral Nadira Hatch materialized in holographic form above his desk. Hatch was a native of Fortuna, a somewhat butch looking lioness with four ex-wives and one ex-husband. According to the rumor mill at Lylat Federation Space Corps headquarters, she remained in contact with all five. Beyond that Boniface knew very little about her personal life beyond what she'd occasionally seen fit to confide in him. He avoided the more salacious rumors that desk bound military bureaucrats enjoyed spreading.

Speaking with the lilting accent common to the Greater Leonia region of Fortuna, Hatch said, "Captain, just wanted to give you an update. Intelligence has reported that the Amanoi Imperium is continuing its ramp up to mobilization, despite the compromise we managed to hammer out to put Star Fox and Star Wolf on the ground. There is one piece of good knews in that both sides are, for the moment, promising not to send additional troops to Sa-Kathona, in the hopes that that will help slow the escalation of the conflict." Hatch paused for a moment, her expression turning even more grim than it had been at the beginning. "But I doubt that anything we do from here on the diplomatic front is likely to ease tensions or prevent a war. These are two cultures that have been locked in a blood feud for centuries. A blood feud that started as a holy war. For the moment both governments insist publicly they want a peaceful solution, and that may be true for the Cerinians, but we both know that no one these days actually comes out and says they want the shooting to start." Another pause. "For now though, your orders remain the same. Both President Vulpine and the Federation Council want you to do whatever it takes to prevent a war." She leaned forward, her eyes aflame with intensity. "I have no doubt that the ultimate decision is going to fall on your shoulders Boniface. I want you to know that, whatever decision that ends up being, I'll support it fully. Good luck out there. Hatch out."

The transmission ended and Boniface sat back in his chair, letting out an explosive sigh and an undignified number of whispered obscenities. He would never-could never-show it to his crew, but he harbored his own doubts about whether he was capable of handling this assignment. But the admiral had faith in him, and that spoke volumes. Bumping his fist against the desk he made a solemn promise not to disappoint her.

* * *

 _ **Jungle Route,**_

 _ **Planet Surface,**_

 _ **Sa-Kathona,**_

Wolf cursed as he hacked his way through the jungle. They were on the right path, following the same route that the archeological team and their mercenary escort had followed, but whatever foliage they'd cleared when they came through had since grown back. Typical. Sa-Kathona felt like every other jungle Wolf had walked through in his life. Hot, humid, with the air thick and smothering. A variety of smells, most of them unpleasant, assaulted his sensitive canine nose, and his ears swiveled constantly at the sounds of birds and other creatures in the surrounding forest.

Fox seemed to be having a slightly easier time of it, no doubt because he was younger, and smaller. It bothered Wolf that the vulpine appeared to be doing better than him at roughing it through the elements. Maybe he'd been spending too much time on Sargasso. Breathing recycled air in a temperature controlled environment, where everything he might want or need was within arms reach. Food, entertainment, luxury. He sighed. Yeah, he'd been taking it way too easy over the past year. Time to get Star Wolf out into the thick of things again. Assuming, of course, he survived this particular shit hole.

After a few more minutes of walking, Fox paused, and Wolf stopped just behind him, staring over his shoulder at the map. Fox studied it for a moment, then started walking again, having turned a bit more towards the west. He offered no explanation, but Wolf had noticed they'd been getting slightly off course. Something occurred to him as they walked, and as Fox glanced down at the map from time to time. "Can I ask you something?"

"I don't know, can you?" Fox replied, flicking his ear, his tail twitching in obvious amusement at his own tired, lame joke.

Wolf just glared with his one good eye. "Why aren't you just homing in on Krystal? She's a telepath isn't she? Shouldn't she be able to communicate with you?"

Fox paused, considering his answer. Wolf was sort of right, though he obviously didn't possess the intimate understanding of Cerinian telepathy that Fox now did. An understanding he'd first started to gain during the Saurian Insurrection. "It doesn't work like that."

"What do you mean?" Wolf asked, snapping a branch of an obstructing tree in half as he walked. Fox just ducked under it.

"She can't communicate over long distances," Fox said. "If we're farther than a few kilometers from her she won't be able to sense us. And we'd have to be even closer in order for her to communicate. And that's assuming she has her focusing gems."

That caught Wolf's interest. "Focusing gems?" As he asked he slapped a mosquito-or whatever passed for a blood sucking insect on Sa-Kathona-that had settled on his bare arm. "Damn bugs."

Fox paused and took a hypospray from his pack. Handing it to Wolf he said, "Take this."

"What for?" Wolf asked, eyeing the hypo suspiciously. He didn't trust injections given to him by strangers or by people that he knew hated him. But then, he also had the good sense to realize Fox was unlikely to be handing him a narcotic or a sedative or some sort of exotic neurotoxin. For the moment they needed each other.

"It's a nanite injection," Fox explained. "Medical nanites, don't worry. They'll take out any foreign viruses or harmful bacteria that get into your bloodstream, or that you ingest in the food or water."

"Nice." Deciding to take the risk Wolf injected himself. He didn't feel a thing, despite the knowledge that tens of thousand of microscopic robots were now flooding through his veins and into his body. "Where'd you get these?"

"Miyu," Fox said. "She and Slippy have been working on them with the Lylatian Institute of Research and Development. They're going to get them patented once they get approval from the Federation Health Department. In the meantime we get to be lab rats." Fox intoned the last two words with a cartoonish version of an Alsatian accent.

"All that red tape." Wolf shook his head. The Federation did love its regulatory bureaucracy, even if it sometimes seemed a bit overbearing. Then again, they had lowest corporate recall rate in the civilized galaxy. "Should I be worried that these little buggers will try and take over my higher functions?" Images of Aparoidedation appeared in his mind's eye.

Fox shook his head. "Don't worry. They're just like a vaccine, but more generalized. They'll probably pass out of you in about three days. I have more if we need them."

Wolf cocked his head. "Pass out of me?"

With a smirk, Fox said, "Think lower functions."

"Ah." Wolf nodded. Well, at least they were microscopic.

The two resumed their trek, and after a long period of silence from Fox, Wolf decided to prompt him for the information he really wanted. "So, focusing gems?"

"Ever wondered why the Cerinians and the Kursed always wear jewelry?" Fox asked, stepping over a pile what looked, and smelled, like blue, unrefined manure.

"Who are the Kursed?" Wolf asked, momentarily confused.

"Sorry." Fox shook his head. "The Amanoi. It's what Krystal and her people call them. I've gotten into the habit of using it when I think about her." Fox didn't mention just how much he'd been thinking about Krystal. He'd been silent the past few hours mostly because he couldn't stop worrying about what he might find once they caught up with her. He'd convinced himself at this point that he would know, on an instinctive, primal, perhaps even telepathic level, if she were dead. But did that mean he'd know if she were wounded? Captured? Being tortured? He forced all the possible horrific images out of his mind, reminding himself that she could take care of herself, and that there was no reason to assume the worst.

Wolf noticed that Fox seemed preoccupied. Probably worrying about Krystal. The two were dating, and had been for at least a year now, according to what he could recall from Panther's ramblings on the subject. "No worries. The gems have something to do with their telepathy then."

"They use them to channel their psychic energy." Fox nodded, glancing back at him. "Without them they'd just be basic empaths, able to sense generalized feelings and emotions. They could tell if you were lying, but not what you were lying about. The gems make it more specific and communicative."

"Interesting." Wolf nodded back. Strange though, for a non-Cerinian to know so much. From what Wolf understood the Cerinians could be a bit cagey about their mental powers. Ostensibly because they didn't want to intimidate other species, but Wolf guessed it had more to do with not wanting to draw the paranoid ire of societies with a greater emphasis on mental privacy. Not everyone was as kumbaya about cultural and evolutionary differences as the Federation. "How do you know so much?"

Dodging the flight of a panicked bird Fox was silent for a moment. This was Wolf, and he wasn't sure how much he wanted to reveal to him about his relationship with Krystal. Then again, Wolf probably knew the basics, considering his best friend and teammate Panther Caroso had been trying to get into Krystal's pants for years. Unsuccessfully, thank the almighty. "Krystal and I got shot down over Sauria during the Scales deal. The Insurrection. I learned a lot from her back then."

"Hmm." Wolf put two and two together. "You two started dating after that, didn't you?" He'd suspected, but he'd never been one hundred percent certain.

"Yes," Fox said. He looked back at Wolf with an irritated expression on his face. "And tell Panther to lay off. He's getting annoying."

Smiling at being able to deliver the vulpine some good news- _why do you care?_ -Wolf said, "Already did."

Fox stared at the older lupine for a moment. Mentally he was flabbergasted. He was also horrified at what came out of his mouth next, "Thanks." In response Wolf just grinned at him. His violet eye lit up in a manner Fox would have called teasing if they were friends. "What?"

"I never thought you'd thank me for anything is all," Wolf responded with a shrug, his grin only getting wider as he rubbed it in. McCloud owed him something. Not that he thought for a minute the vulpine would ever do him any favors because of it. Still, at least it felt good as a moral victory.

Fox just glared at him, his tail flicking as a little swarm of insects flew by, and said, "Yeah. Neither did I. I'm not in the habit of thanking people who attack civilian ships and take money from drug dealers than want to operate in their territory." Fox turned around and kept walking, fuming at the idea that he'd actually let the word slip out. Not because he was prideful-okay, maybe a little-but because of course Wolf had decided to rub it in.

Shrugging it off Wolf said, "You're broadening your horizons."

"Great," Fox said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "My dad would have been so proud."

An awkward silence fell, then Wolf said, "You ever wonder what our parents would think about us working together?"

Fox didn't even need to think about it. Glancing back at Wolf he said, "They'd both have had strokes." Then he added, "And, for the record, when this is done, I fully intend to go back to blowing your ships out of the stars whenever I come across them."

"Same Fox. Same."

* * *

By nightfall Fox estimated they'd traveled about six kilometers. Not bad considering they'd been going through rough terrain, following a path on a map that seemed to have no corresponding real world equivalent. They'd also managed not to get eaten by any wildlife, but they still had a good day or two ahead of them before they reached their destination. Shucking off his pack he set it on the ground and double checked the charge on his particle side arm and plasma rifle. "We should camp here tonight."

"You sure?" Wolf looked around. From the look of things there would be barely enough room to set up their tents, and setting up a functional perimeter would be difficult. Motion sensors would be going off all night no matter what setting they put them at. Once again Wolf found himself cursing the concept and existence of the jungle ecosystem.

Settling down on the ground Fox began unpacking. "According to the map this is the only clear area for the next few kilometers. Feel free to walk ahead if you prefer."

With a shrug Wolf set his own pack on the ground. "I'm good." He took a seat across from Fox, checking his laser rifle and grabbing what he'd need to give it a cleaning. Keeping a weapon clean was vital at all times, but doubly so in an alien environment. Wolf didn't want to be caught at a critical moment and have his primary means of self defense rendered inoperable by some exotic fungus.

They spent the next few minutes silently field stripping their weapons. Fox spread a thin film of protective gel over his. When it dried and hardened it would provide an additional layer of protection for the vital components inside that might be attractive to mineral degrading fungi or compounds. Fox didn't know if Sa-Kathona had any of those, but he knew planets such as Fortuna and Sauria did, and it stood to reason that Sa-Kathona might as well. Snapping his weapons back together he stowed his rifle in his pack but kept his sidearm at his hip.

Next he needed to set up some sort of basic perimeter to prevent an ambush. Reaching into his pack he took out a small drone. He activated it and keyed it to hover above the campsite. Rising on its anti-grav repulsors it did a quick scan of the area, and then trilled in a manner that almost seemed happy. It activated a lamp on its underside, bathing the camp in soft yellow light.

"Sensor drone?" Wolf asked, looking closely at it.

"Yes."

"Slippy make it? I don't recognize it."

"Yes." Fox looked over at him. "And don't get too close. I keyed it to detonate if it detects lupine fingerprints on it."

Wolf stared. "Seriously?" Fox just looked back at him silently. "Wow, you don't trust me, do you?"

"Should I?"

Wolf chuckled. "No. But don't worry, if I need to know about your toys, I'll just have Leon hack into your system."

"Right." Fox rolled his eyes. Reaching into his pack he pulled out a small square made of synthetic fibers. Setting it on the ground he tapped the button in the middle. His tent folded out and erected itself.

"Not bad." Wolf said, arching his eyebrows. Star Fox certainly seemed to be kitted out for this sort of thing. They must have had a better year than he'd realized.

"Where are the poles?"

"It doesn't need them," Fox answered, obviously reluctant to share any information with Wolf about his team's equipment.

Recognizing that he'd have to be a bit more probing if he wanted an answer to even the most innocuous of questions, Wolf said, "What keeps it up then?"

"Tensor fields," Fox replied. His ears flicked in annoyance. He didn't remember Wolf being this chatty the last time they'd met. But then again, the last time they'd met they had been shooting at each other. Fox remembered the look of utter disgust on Wolf's face as Star Fox had forced his raiding group into retreat. It was a good memory.

Wolf nodded, stretching his arms behind him. His nose twitched as he caught his scent. One day and he already felt like he was in desperate need of a shower. Not that Fox smelled any better. "Must be expensive," he noted.

"Not really." Fox shook his head. "They're standard Federation issue."

"Exactly," Wolf responded. "The Federation military isn't known for cutting costs these days."

Fox shrugged. "Doesn't matter to me, as long as I get paid. And besides, I've got some friends in their procurement division."

"Figures." Wolf grunted. He elected not to bring up the implication that Fox was skimming military supplies from his employers. Then again, knowing Fox he'd probably come to a legal and upfront agreement for the equipment. The little orange furball didn't have a corrupt bone in his body. More's the pity. On the other hand there was another button Wolf knew he could press. "I don't know why you don't just let them fold you into the military."

"I like my independence," Fox said, looking only slightly less offended than he felt. Fox could respect the military for the sacrifices it made, but he still felt as if the rules and regulations they imposed smothered the type of individual heroism that could turn the tide of a war. And on a more practical level Fox just didn't like the idea of not being in charge of his own destiny. He wanted to be able to choose his battles, and if he were to become part of the military, even in special operations, he knew he'd never have the sort of freedom he enjoyed with Star Fox.

"So do I," Wolf said, opening his pack and taking out his own tent. It was nice and folded, but it didn't rely on the tensor fields that Fox's did. Privately Wolf thought maybe that was a better idea. Less could go wrong with a pole than a gravity manipulating field generator. And, if it did go wrong, it would be an easy fix.

"Don't act like we have anything in common," Fox shot back, doing his best to keep his voice level. He knew Wolf was trying to get a rise out of him, and he was a bit annoyed that it was working. Setting his ears he took a calming breath. He was bigger than this.

Setting his tent up Wolf said, "I don't know, we might have one thing in common."

Fox took out his field rations and tore off the wrapper, stowing it in his pack rather than discarding it. He knew Krystal would have a fit if she found out he'd littered on what was considered sacred ground. _Man, good thing I didn't bring Falco. He can't use a garbage can to save his life._ He looked back at Wolf. "What?"

"Emotional immaturity," Wolf told him, his face and tone deadpan.

Fox just stared at the lupine for a moment, then started to smile. He even laughed. Just a bit. Wolf chuckled in response, his tail wagging slowly. Fox wagged in response rather than be rude, then bit into his field rations. "Ugh." His tail stopped mid wag.

Giving his tent one final check over Wolf pronounced it good and sat down. He pulled out his own food and started eating. "Rations packs?" Wolf asked, presuming that if everything else Fox had seemed on par with the Federation military, his food probably would be too.

"Nutrient cubes," Fox answered, holding up a pale, almost translucent cube about the size of a brownie bite. "All the nutrients you need, with absolutely none of the flavor."

"I have regular rations if you want some," Wolf offered. "Don't taste that good, but they do taste like something."

Fox considered it for a moment. The nutrient cubes may have been tasteless, but they could sustain him for the next twenty-four hours pretty easily. They also tasted like melted dust. Fox held out his hand. Wolf tossed him a package and Fox started to tear the wrapper off. He paused when he noticed the red letter "A" emblazoned on it. "Androssian?" he whispered.

"Yeah, why?" Wolf asked, taking a bite of the unidentifiable brown bar of...food, that Andross fed his army. Wolf had grabbed whole cratefulls of the things in a raid a few weeks prior.

With a shake of his head and a look of disgust Fox tossed it back to Wolf. "I'll stick to the nutrient cubes."

"You sure?" Wolf asked, tearing off another bite. It actually didn't taste all that bad. Panther would have gagged on it, but then Panther didn't consider anything to be food unless it came off of a gourmet menu. "They're actually not half bad. This one comes with..." he glanced at the one Fox had thrown back at him. "Oo, Eladardian spices with hydroponically grown bean paste." Trying to lighten the mood he added, "An explosive combination."

"I don't take anything Androssian," Fox replied, spitting the last word.

Wolf nodded. "I understand." And, surprisingly, he did.

"Do you?" Fox downed his last nutrient cube, letting it melt in his mouth. All of a sudden, when compared to the idea of eating food grown in the Androssian Empire by farmers taking Androssian money, it tasted like the best food he'd ever eaten.

"Yeah, I do." Wolf finished his own rations, swallowing the last bite before continuing. "Andross had your father killed, so you don't want anything associated with him. I get it. I feel the same way about Andross sometimes, even if I didn't lose who you did."

"Really?" Fox looked at him incredulously. "You don't seem to have a problem taking his money for this job. Or running arms to the SharpClaw on Sauria for him."

At the mention of the arms running Wolf's face went studiously blank. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Oh give me a break." Fox shook his head, his tail stiff and his ears back. Wolf just stayed silent. Seeing that he wouldn't be getting anything out of Wolf Fox just grunted and said, "Fine, stay quiet. But don't kid yourself that the Federation doesn't know. And don't think for a minute I don't know that you also run weapons to the sand cats on Titania _for_ the Federation."

"Got a problem with that?" Wolf frowned. He didn't like the fact that Fox knew so much about his operations. But then again, if Wolf could figure out a good amount of what Fox was doing it stood to reason Fox could do the same for him. It wasn't like Slippy was incapable of hacking into Sargasso. Not to mention the fact that the arms running Fox was referring to was something of an open secret. Both the Feds and the Andies needed someone to run their weapons that they could easily disavow, and since Star Wolf was the only criminal enterprise left in Lylat with the infrastructure for the job, both sides pretended not to notice him playing both sides. It was a tidy little arrangement, and one Wolf had been profiting off of quite nicely.

"I have a problem with the first one," Fox answered. "Not the second one."

Interesting. "Why not?"

Feeling that sense of bitterness that always came with any discussion of Andross and the Lylat War, Fox replied, "Because if it kills Androssians or their allies, I'm all for it." Taking a field lantern from his pack Fox opened his tent. "Goodnight Wolf."

Wolf watched Fox enter his tent and settle in. Then he said, "Goodnight Fox." And headed for his own tent.

* * *

A/N: Not a whole lot to say here, other than that we've gotten some more world building/backstory. I'll be fitting as much of that as possible into this story, since this is the primary means for everyone to get acquainted with my AU, and it helps me iron the occasional wrinkle in the universe.

Now that I've got this updated I'm probably going to shift focus briefly to a one shot for some Fox/Krystal fluff. Probably set in this AU, so we'll see a little more world building and such. It'll be mostly cute and fluffy though, so I hope those of you who like that kind of stuff will enjoy it.

Anyways, go ahead and leave a review, a follow, a fav, or whatever else you can think of, and I'll see you next time!


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

 _ **Jungle Campsite,**_

 _ **Planet Surface,**_

 _ **Sa-Kathona,**_

A ghostly blue light illuminated the insides of Fox's small tent. Lying on his back, Fox held his head up with one arm, allowing him to see the tiny hologram as it flickered above the projector sitting on his chest. Krystal stood there, smiling sweetly as she blew him a kiss. As he watched her he said a silent prayer to the Cerinian Goddesses to keep her safe. Even though Fox didn't put much stock in the Ascended, he knew Krystal and her people did, which meant in his mind that the best way he could protect her right now would be to honor her beliefs and hope for the best. Besides, it really couldn't hurt. Then, prayer delivered, he blew a kiss back to the image and wondered, for a brief, wistful moment, if she would feel it. After that he tapped the emitter panel to cycle to the next preloaded image.

The hologram changed, displaying an altogether different vixen. Orange furred, with cream colored hair between her ears, and vivid emerald eyes Vixy McCloud was the spitting image of her son, Fox. Her hologram looked out at him with a quiet confidence, reminding him that, no matter what, she would always think him up to any challenge. Fox took comfort in that. His mother was the only family he had left. They'd been through a lot together over the years. He could still remember the late nights waiting for his father, James, to return home. Driving to the landing fields outside of Corneria City, staring up at the stars, waiting for the little point of light that was James's Arwing. His father had always come home to them. Until, that is, the day he hadn't.

Fox shut his eyes for a moment. The memories were flooding back, as they always did. With them came the pain he had felt, and the memory of the pain he had seen in his mother's eyes. The final battle in the Lylat War had been won. The ships were returning home, including those of the Star Fox team. Fox had just had his eighteenth birthday. He and his mother had stood on the landing field, looking for the three Arwings they'd been nervously awaiting. Only one had appeared and touched down.

Opening his eyes again he smiled at his mother. He couldn't afford to get distracted, depressed, or melancholy. All the things that memories of that day brought with them. He had far more fond memories of his father. Memories of playing tag in the park as a kit and holding his father's tail as his parents took him to the Corneria City mall for the first time. Or at least the first time he'd been old enough to remember. Fox knew his father wouldn't have wanted to be cried over, even if he must have known he would be. No, James McCloud would have much preferred a wistful smile to eyes streaming with tears. Vixy had known this, and had never once cried in front of her son when she thought of James, or someone mentioned him. Instead she would smile, laugh at a funny memory, and beam at tales of his heroism. Behind closed doors though...Fox remembered walking by his mother's room at night, and hearing the soft, quiet sobbing.

"Dammit." Fox tapped the emitter, changing the image. The last image in the rotation was one his mother had insisted he keep with him. It brought a smile to his face. Vixy smiled at the camera, holding a little bundle of two month old Fox McCloud, while his father played with the baby Fox, tickling him as Fox tried to grab onto a finger with his hands. It was a happy image, and despite containing the likeness of his father, it only ever brought him comfort. It reminded him of the fact that his father had loved him, and that nothing would ever change that. "Love you dad. Mom."

Fox deactivated the holo-emitter, plunging the tent into total darkness. Closing his eyes he started going through his mental checklist, making certain that everything felt and sounded right before he allowed himself to drop into rest mode. It wouldn't be long now. _Krystal, if you can hear me, I'm on my way._

* * *

Wolf didn't enjoy being out of Lylat. He wasn't a xenophobe, but there was something about being outside of the system he'd been born in that made him...nervous. It might have grown from running a legal shipping business that was, in fact, a front for a number of criminal enterprises that made him paranoid about being out of communications range. He'd left Leon in charge of things while he was away, and though he could trust the chameleon to keep the ship steady without so much as skimming a credit off the top, Wolf still found himself worrying about, well, everything.

Already he got the feeling someone would be trying to encroach on his territory. Some underling not of his inner circle would be trying to cheat his way into a more favorable position, or start up his or her own side business. Panther often told Wolf he was the criminal version of a workaholic, forever paranoid that if he didn't finish that one thing, if he didn't look into that one issue, everything would come crashing down. Wolf never contradicted the feline on that point. Panther, sadly, knew enough about people, and Wolf in particular, that he tended to be rather astute about personality problems.

Wolf stifled a groan, running a hand down his muzzle. No matter how hard he worked, no matter who he left in charge, whenever Wolf was out of the loop his mind conjured all sorts of nightmare scenarios. The X-Syndicate getting a foothold in Lylat, or the Federation deciding to balls up and wipe out his little empire. Oh, they might have been left without a convenient gun runner, but Wolf understood enough about the Federation's idealism to know just how dangerous it was to let your guard down around them. They were the goody-two-shoes of the galaxy, always happy to clean up any mess they found.

Then of course there was Panther. Oh, he trusted the idiot, but at the same time he knew the kind of trouble the feline tended to get into without adult supervision. Not to mention the fact that, at this very moment, Panther was probably more busy with that lioness, Chandra, than he was with the plethora of duties he had as the third member of Wolf's inner circle. _While I'm out here sweltering to death in a jungle, he's probably balls deep in that lioness, ordering every luxury item he can think of._ The image that sprung into his mind finally did make Wolf groan. Not the sex, but the vision of hundred thousand credit cars being delivered to the station.

The irony of all of this was that he'd actually been itching to get away from it all. When Conrad, the Androssian captain who'd contacted him, told him he had a mission for him outside the Lylat system, Wolf had jumped at the chance to go out and get his hands dirty. Now though, the reality of the fact that he'd left his entire operation light years behind him was sinking in, and all those worries were beginning to plague him. _Maybe I should have just gone on a vacation somewhere in-system. At least then if anything happened there wouldn't be a nine hour time lag in communications._

Shaking his head Wolf took a deep breath through his nose, trying to clear his mind. Jungle scents assaulted his nostrils, and Wolf decided to do the thing canines did best. He began sorting through and categorizing all the various smells until, finally, he fell asleep.

* * *

Fox couldn't have gotten more than an hour's sleep before he was rudely awakened. The shrill report of an alarm klaxon roused him from his tent. Something, or someone, had just set off the guard drone's proximity alarms. Cursing under his breath he grabbed his rifle and burst out of his tent, clothed in nothing but his underwear.

Not a second later Wolf emerged from his own tent, his sidearm up, his eye wild. "The hell is going on?"

Ignoring the lupine's question, Fox pointed his plasma rifle at Wolf's chest, though he kept his finger outside the trigger guard. "What did you do?"

"What do you mean what did I do?" Wolf, trying to diffuse the situation, aimed his sidearm towards the ground. It was an uncharacteristically trusting move on his part, but he knew Fox well enough to know that the tod could be reasoned with, just so long as he didn't feel backed into a corner. That, and he could see Fox's finger resting outside the trigger guard, which meant there was a good chance Fox was just being cautious and suspicious, rather than paranoid and delusional. _Lucky me._

"The drone," Fox elaborated. "Did you make a grab for it?"

"No. I just got out of my tent, how could I have made a grab for it?" Wolf kept his voice level. He had a fair idea of what his situation called for, having talked down more than a few angry gunmen in the bars of Sargasso.

Fox considered this, replaying the last few moments in his mind. Wolf had been in his tent when he'd come out, and unless his...companion could be in two places at once, or had telekinetic powers, he more than likely wasn't the one responsible for the drone's panic. Still, there was something inside of Fox that just refused to fully trust anyone named O'Donnell.

Seeing that Fox was still unsure, Wolf added, "If I had, wouldn't I be dead right now?"

"Good point," Fox replied, lowering his weapon. He didn't want to let on that the drone being booby trapped had been a bluff. He looked around the campsite, trying to figure out what might have tripped the alarm. "Must've been an animal."

Now that the immediate danger, and the standoff, had passed, Fox walked over to the drone and tapped in the clear alert command. Silence replaced the blaring of the alarm, and the sounds of the jungle returned. Except...

"Is it just me," Wolf said, looking around, "Or is it suddenly very, very quiet?"

Ears perked and swiveling, in full vulpine parabolic dish mode, Fox did an auditory scan of their surroundings. "Yes," Fox said, softly. The silence was almost total, like all of the fauna of the forest were holding their breath and hunkering down.

Then came a rustling in the foliage. Both Fox and Wolf turned towards it, weapons raised. "There wouldn't happen to be any large predators on this planet, would there?" Wolf whispered, turning his artificial eye to full night vision mode.

"Shh. You smell that?" Fox's nose twitched, catching an odd, and unpleasant smell in the air.

Sniffing the air in front of him Wolf caught on to what Fox was talking about. "Smells like...bone rot."

There was more rustling in the foliage, and both of their ears perked at what sounded like joints popping. "Is that you?" Fox glanced at Wolf.

Shaking his head, Wolf replied, "I have a bad feeling about this."

No sooner had the words left his muzzle than a loud, ear splitting, screeching filled the air. From the forest emerged a nightmarish vision. The creatures sprinting towards them were about Fox's height, with no eyes, but a massive, open jaw filled with needle like teeth. They were covered in a bony exoskeleton, green, dripping moss and mildew marring the otherwise dull white surface.

"Whoa!" Fox took a step back, blasting the first one to emerge without hesitation. His mind worked furiously to remember what these things were, but for the moment it was enough to know that they had teeth, and appeared interested in making a meal of both Fox and Wolf.

Firing his sidearm Wolf caught another of the creatures in the side, the laser beam burning a hole clean through the hardened exterior. Screaming in pain it fell to the ground, then lay still. "What the hell are these things?" Wolf spoke through clenched teeth, his ears already ringing from the terrible screeching noises that now filled the jungle.

"Bonedevils," Fox said, having an _ah-ha!_ moment just as another one emerged. It quickly met the same fate as its two companions.

Things quieted down after that, but neither of the two mercenaries let their guard down. Looking intently into the forest, his ears swiveling to catch any noises that might be caused by another group of bonedevils, Fox explained, "They make their nests in the old ruins. They're nocturnal, so that's why we didn't encounter them during the day."

"Did the map show any ruins around here?" Wolf asked, suddenly wondering why they would have made camp here if that were the case.

"No." Fox shook his head.

"Then where..."

"It's a jungle Wolf," Fox cut him off. "You've seen how thick it is. There are a lot of areas where you can't even see through the canopy. Trust me, we could be thirty meters from a ruin site and never know it."

"Right." Wolf sighed. He really, really, hated jungles. "So, what do we do?"

Lowering his weapon, Fox replied, "I think we may have driven them off for now. I'll..."

Fox was interrupted by several more screeches. Both he and Wolf dropped down into combat stances again, weapons ready.

"Oh, and did I mention they hunt by sound?" Fox added, memories of the briefing packet returning to his mind in full force.

"So, the more noise we make, the more likely they are to find us?" Wolf whispered.

"Probably," Fox agreed. Backing up, he made his way over to the drone. Reaching up to it he tapped a series of commands.

"What are you doing?" Wolf glanced at him, then redirected his attention back to their surroundings.

"Setting up an audio dampening field," Fox told him. "The drone will prevent any sound from leaving this area. Should keep the bonedevils away."

"You came prepared. And if it doesn't?" Wolf straightened up.

"One of us will keep watch," Fox said.

"Huh. Great. I'll take first watch then," Wolf replied.

"I can handle it." Fox shook his head.

"Don't worry about it," Wolf said. "I can barely sleep anyways. Get some rest, I'll get you in four hours."

Realizing that it wasn't worth arguing, even if he wanted to, Fox nodded and headed back to his tent. He didn't like trusting his safety to Wolf, but he was comforted by the fact that the lupine would have to rely on him as well. _I guess that makes us even,_ Fox thought to himself before closing his eyes and falling back to sleep.

* * *

 _ **Jungle Route,**_

 _ **Planet Surface,**_

 _ **Sa-Kathona,**_

They broke camp the next morning about an hour after dawn. Sunbeams broke through the imposing canopy of the jungle, and wherever they light struck the ground could be seen the thickest patches of bright, colorful flowers and other low lying vegetation. At the beginning of their walk Fox found himself somewhat tempted to pause and sample the smells of those flowers, wondering what they might add to his mother's garden back on Corneria. Like most Cornerians, Fox had a great deal of affection for green, growing things. There were few households on Corneria that didn't support some sort of garden. He resisted the urge though, knowing they had far more important things to do than stop and smell the proverbial roses.

For his part, Wolf kept quiet. He could see in Fox's gait, the set of his ears, and the way he kept moving doggedly forward that the chattiness of the day before was gone. That was alright though, Wolf didn't mind. Truth be told he wasn't generally the most talkative individual in the galaxy. And besides, with a fleet of warships in the skies above, and people in danger down here on the surface, Wolf was surprised oh-so-serious Fox McCloud had been in any mood to trade jibes with him yesterday.

Another reality had begun to sink in for Wolf as well. The galaxy was literally relying on him to avert an interstellar war. Him. A person who could easily be counted as among the dregs of Lylatian society. At least by any civilized person's standards. He wondered what the look on the Federation's president, Agnus Vulpine's, face had been when the Androssian liaison informed her that they were sending him. When he thought about it though it had likely been an arched eyebrow, a dry remark, and then a check with her intelligence director to make sure this wouldn't impact arms shipments to the Titanian rebels. Cornerian Brahmins were notoriously difficult to rattle.

By around midday, as the temperature began to get unbearable, and the sweat was just about pouring off of him, Wolf gave in and asked, "How much further?"

Looking down at the map Fox hid a smirk. "Tired?"

"Don't push it, pup," Wolf replied, irritably.

"We're almost there actually," Fox responded, shrugging his shoulders.

"Good." Wolf breathed a mental sigh of relief. He actually did feel the need for a break, but he wasn't about to tell Fox that. "You getting anything from Krystal?"

"No." Fox shook his head, looking worried. "Nothing."

Wolf raised his eyebrows. "Weird. Shouldn't you be getting something?" Not that Wolf really understood how Cerinian telepathy worked, even after the crash course Fox had given him yesterday.

"Yes." Fox looked peevish.

"Then why aren't you?"

That question, it turned out, was enough to finally get Fox to be a bit more verbose. Rounding on the lupine Fox raised his voice a bit, saying, "I don't know. Because I'm not. For all we know this isn't even their last location. They could have moved on from here days ago. And if they did, unless we find something like a trail of freaking bread crumbs we're going to have no idea where to look for them."

Wolf just stared at him, and after a moment Fox started to feel a bit idiotic. Turning around to hide the color coming to his cheeks and ears he forged ahead. They were right about to the end of the map. After a few minutes the jungle began to open up, leading them into a large clearing. Tall, green grass swayed in the first breeze they'd felt since beginning their search. The cool, moving air was a relief, though Fox found his breath catching at what sat in the exact center of the clearing.

A massive, stepped pyramid style temple towered above them. Approaching it Fox could see that it was made of huge, grey stone blocks. He could detect signs of what once was a garishly colorful paint job, now just reduced to a few stubborn flecks of pigment.

"Damn. Krazoa built 'em big, didn't they?" Wolf commented.

O'Donnell's voice brought Fox back into reality. "Searching this is gonna take awhile." Fox pinched the bridge of his muzzle briefly in frustration.

"You think there might be bonedevils in there?" Wolf asked, one hand gripping the strap of the rifle slung over his shoulder.

"I guess we'll find out," Fox answered, checking the charge on his own weapon. "You take the left side, I'll take the right, and we'll work our way up. Stay in radio contact, and don't touch anything."

"What am I five?" Wolf looked at Fox, unhappy at being ordered around.

Fox met his gaze with a serious look. "I mean it Wolf. People have been known to disappear in Krazoa ruins. But if you want to go around feeling up the place, be my guest. Just be aware that rescuing you is going to be a separate job, with a separate check."

"Fine." Wolf grunted. "Probably what happened to Monroe and her team anyway."

Fox was silent for a moment, considering the possibility. It actually seemed more likely than anything else. Sighing he said, "Come on, we've got a temple to explore."

* * *

As he explored the Krazoa temple Fox truly began to appreciate the magnificence of its construction. The stone work was practically seamless, with each block fitting precisely on top, below, and against its counterparts. Frescoes adorned many of the walls, telling the story of a people who had vanished almost a million years ago. Every once in awhile Fox felt compelled to stop and look at one, wondering at the meaning of the strange symbols the accompanied some, of the arcane symbolism of the imagery.

As he searched he couldn't help but wonder how much Krystal must have loved getting the chance to explore the ruins here on Sa-Kathona. Because of the distance, as well as the danger of traveling in the Expanse, permission to accompany an expedition was a rare and coveted privilege. _She always liked to talk my ear off about the latest discoveries._ He smiled at the memories, and as he did he tried his best to reach out to her with his mind. It was a foolish notion, since he wasn't telepathic. His mind shouldn't have been able to reach hers, but perhaps if she were close enough...

"Fox, you should come see this."

Fox jumped a bit at the sudden sound from his radio. Shaking his head he held down the transmit button and responded, "What is it?"

"Better if you see it. I'm on the fifth floor. Left side," Wolf told him.

"I'll be right up," Fox said, releasing the talk button. He headed double time for the nearest flight of stairs. Something in him started telling him that this was it, that they'd found the next clue. Definitely not Krystal and her friends, since if Wolf had found Krystal she would have been grabbing the radio and gushing into it about how happy she was that he could join her. But he just knew they were about to make some real progress in this search.

Taking the steps two at a time Fox arrived at the fifth level and took a left. He made it to Wolf's position a few moments later, his breathing a little faster but otherwise none the worse for his pace.

The first thing, or things rather, that he noticed were the bodies on the ground. None of them were Lylatian or Cerinian, thankfully. They were made up of a bony exoskeleton, with long, sharp talons at the ends of their limbs, and needle like teeth visible in their open mouths. Approaching Wolf he asked, "Is this what you wanted me to see?"

Wolf nodded, then pointed at the remains strewn about the room. "I think we found the bonedevils."

Standing next to one Fox rolled it over with his foot, tail twitching nervously. Seeing the black scoring on the chest he said, "Plasma scoring."

"There's some on the wall, too." Wolf pointed to a series of black scorch marks along the stone wall.

Glancing around, Fox took note of the locations of the plasma damage. "I guess there was a firefight."

"You think there might be more of them?" Wolf's hand drifted to his sidearm.

"Maybe." Fox frowned. "Still, they won't bother us while it's day out. Right now they're underground, probably nested in the foundation. Once night falls though, they'll climb up out of the ground and start hunting. That must have been what happened here." Fox sighed. "Yeah, they must have found the temple, made camp, and then got ambushed. There'd be no way to know what they were sitting on."

"No blood," Wolf pointed out. "So, if they're dead, it didn't happen here."

"True." As Fox walked around the room something caught his eye. What he found made him suck in a breath.

"What?" Wolf walked over to him, eyebrows raised. "Find something?" Fox nodded. "What is it?"

Squatting down, Fox answered, "It's Krystal's headband. Her focusing gems."

"Huh." Wolf glanced around, then back at the band of small, glittering jewels set in gold. "You think she mighta just lost 'em?"

"No." Fox shook his head. "Cerinians don't just lose their focusing gems. She left those here for us to find."

Wolf wasn't quite sure what that gained them. Sure, it was confirmation that the expedition had been here, but beyond that, it didn't seem to tell them very much. "That's nice. Did she leave a map showing where they went next?"

Ears flicking, Fox thought about that for a moment. "No. Unless..." Reaching out he touched the stones, and then...

* * *

 _The room had changed. He was no longer inside a Krazoa temple on Sa-Kathona. Instead, all he could see was an endless vista of white light, cut through with clouds of white vapor. He recognized it instantly. "Krystal?"_

 _"Fox!"_

 _Turning around at the sound of that voice, a voice that sent shivers down his spine, Fox grinned like an idiot, his tail wagging audibly, as he ran to meet the blue vixen sprinting towards him out of the mist. "Krystal!"_

 _They met halfway through, wrapping themselves in each other's arms, and Fox couldn't help but whine happily as her scent reached his nostrils. That beautiful, calming scent, like an ocean breeze. He nuzzled into her neck, burying himself in her purple hair, squeezing her so tightly he might have crushed her but for where they were._

 _After a few moments though, Krystal pulled back from him. "I was worried you might not find me," she said._

 _"It's alright," Fox said, licking her nose. "I found you. Well, sorta."_

 _Nodding, Krystal explained, "I'm sorry, there wasn't much time. I had to leave this imprint behind."_

 _Fox felt a brief sense of disappointment fall on him. "So, it's not really you?"_

 _"No." Krystal shook her head. "I'm sorry."_

 _Fox shook his head, cupping her cheek with his hand. He felt her lean into it, her imprint every bit as reactive and natural as her full-blown being. "It's alright. Where's the real you?"_

" _Inside the planet," she said, nibbling gently at the space between his thumb and forefinger._

 _Scratching at the bottom of her hairline, he replied, "Inside? I hate to break it to you honey, but I didn't bring my shovel."_

 _That got her attention. She cocked her head and looked at him quizzically. "You went into the jungle without a shovel?"_

 _Fox shrugged. "I brought a spade. Now, how do I get to you in a way that doesn't involve us digging a really big hole?"_

" _Us?" Krystal continued looking at him quizzically._

" _Oh uh." Fox scratched the back of his neck, not sure how to explain it to her. "Wolf is here too."_

" _Long story?"_

" _Yeah," Fox answered. "Long story."_

" _Hmm." Krystal shrugged. "Well, here's how to find us." Reaching up she touched the fingers of her right hand to his right temple. Fox felt the flow of knowledge entering his mind, like a trickle of cool water in the back of head. "And come quickly."_

" _I will," Fox assured her._

" _And don't forget my gems," she reminded him._

" _I won't."_

" _See ya soon," Krystal said, kissing him on the cheek._

* * *

"McCloud? McCloud, you alright?" Wolf was beginning to worry. Fox had completely zoned out, as if he were somewhere else entirely. His eyes had closed, and he could see them darting around beneath the lids. _Is he dreaming?_ Considering that the gemstones he had just touched were related to Krystal's telepathy Wolf realized that might not be far off from the truth.

A few more moments passed, then Fox returned to himself. Eyes opening he stood up. Glancing at Wolf he noticed the expression on the lupine's face. "Sorry, I'm good."

"You sure? You were kinda out of it."

"Yeah, don't worry about it," Fox told him. Taking stock of the room again his eyes settled on a panel on the far wall. Nodding to himself he fished his long range communicator out, flipped it open, and said, "McCloud to _Corneria's Pride,_ please come in."

For a moment there was nothing but silence, then Boniface Whitefur's voice issued from the speakers. "Fox, good to hear your voice. How are things?"

"I think we've found them," Fox replied, his tail swishing in anticipation.

"Think?" Boniface asked.

"Yeah." Fox paused for a moment, trying to think of the quickest way to explain the situation. "Long story short, they found a portal leading to the inside of the planet, it must be where the KeyStone is hidden. We can go after them, but once we do we're going to be out of contact until we return to the surface. I wanted to let you know ahead of time."

Whitefur's sigh came in loud and clear over the comm line. Fox surmised that the prospect of the rescue team being out of contact was not something that would go over well with the ships currently in orbit over Sa-Kathona. "Very well. I'll keep things together up here while you're gone, and inform everyone of the situation. Good luck, and try not to take too long."

"I'll do my best," Fox replied. "Good luck up there, too."

"Thanks. _Pride_ out."

"Wanna fill me in?" Wolf asked.

Leaning down Fox scooped up Krystal's focusing gems and stowed them in his pack. "Krystal told me how to get to them."

Wolf eyed him for a moment, then said, "I question your sanity."

Rolling his eyes, Fox explained, "Focusing gems can be used to store messages, mental imprints, that sort of thing."

Comprehension dawned on Wolf's face. "She left you a message in a bottle?"

"An expensive bottle, yes," Fox replied, heading for the far wall, Wolf walking alongside him.

"Alright, so how do we get inside the planet, then?" Wolf asked. "Short of having Whitefur drill a hole with his ship's lasers."

Stopping in front of the panel, Fox regarded it for a moment. It resembled an upside down triangle, with raised glyphs covering it. "Like this," Fox said, then depressed a trio of glyphs.

There was a flash of purple-pink light, and both Fox McCloud and Wolf O'Donnell disappeared.

* * *

 **A/N:** Well, this took a lot longer to finish and post than I intended, my bad folks. Until this story is complete I'm going to be putting a moratorium on one-shots and the like, that way I can stay focused.

The next chapter should hopefully be out in a much more timely manner. Chapter Four will begin Act Two of the story, introduce Krystal, Katt, and several other characters, some new and some familiar.

Until then though, go ahead and leave a review, and I'll see ya starside!

-general FurFur Whitefur Fur fur Furry fur fur fur


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

 _ **Temple Complex,**_

 _ **Sa-Kathona,**_

 _ **Planet Surface,**_

 _ **48 Hours Before Star Fox's Arriva l**_

Screeching filled the air as bonedevil after bonedevil poured into the chamber. Taking aim, Katt squeezed off a few shots, nailing the first two that appeared in her sights. Glancing over her shoulder she saw that the rest of their party had gotten out safely, with the exception of one individual, a certain blue vixen. "Krystal, come on!" Katt waved towards the portal, hoping to all that was divine and ascended that it would stay open long enough for the two of them to use it.

Standing towards the middle of the chamber, and slowly backing up towards Katt, Krystal fired on the approaching nocturnal nightmares. Bonedevils were the scourge of every expedition that came to Sa-Kathona. Ravenous, dangerous, and without mercy, they nested in the foundations of the ancient Krazoa buildings. Krystal had heard more than a few stories of travelers and pilgrims being dragged to their doom in the warrens underneath some long forgotten temple.

There was, however, a good reason that she hadn't slipped away into the portal and, presumably, to safety just yet. Their ships, with their long range communications devices, were far off across bonedevil infested territory, and tonight's ambush had separated them from their only other long range communicator. Which meant, wherever this portal took them, they weren't likely to be able to contact anyone for their scheduled check ins. Krystal intended to leave behind something that would point any search parties looking for them in the right direction.

Tearing the jeweled headband from where it rested on her forehead, Krystal's eyes began to glow softly. From them sprang a miniature and ghostly image of herself. It settled in the gems, and then turned back to look at her. "Tell him what he needs to know," Krystal whispered in Cerinian, infusing the imprint with all the knowledge it would need to guide Fox-because she knew, just knew, that it would be Fox-to her and her companions.

More bonedevils sprang into the room, crawling along the walls and ceiling even as their fellows bounded across the floor. Katt lit up the temple walls with suppressing fire, shouting, "Krystal. Now!"

Turning, Krystal sprinted for the portal. She was only meters away from it and Katt when she felt a weight slam into her shoulder, and a scream tore from her lips as she felt hard, cold, bone pressing against her back. _This is it, this is how I die. I'm not done yet, though._ She kicked out at the bonedevil, flailing against the beast on top of her, even though she knew she had one, perhaps two, seconds before those sharp, needle like teeth dug into her neck.

Seeing her friend go down, Katt swore and broke cover. She ran at the bonedevil, a loud, wet hiss issuing from her muzzle. Grabbing the bonedevil by the shoulders, she tore it off of Krystal, sending it flying backwards towards yet another group of the creatures. Grabbing Krystal and hauling her up by her arms, Katt bit out, "When I say run. Run!" Then tossed the blue vixen into the portal.

There was a moment of disorientation, a feeling of being in two places at once, then the pink feline and blue vixen emerged on the other side of the portal less than a second apart. The mouth of the narrow cave they were in could be seen about ten or fifteen meters away. Water dripped along the walls, pittering and pattering as it hit the stone floor. Krystal's breath came in ragged pants, and she could feel herself shaking from the adrenaline coursing through her body. Looking at Katt, she said, "Thanks."

Katt, her own breathing labored, and her tail and fur fuzzed, shook her head. "No problem. I assume you abandoned your focusing gems for a reason?"

"I left an imprint on them," Krystal replied, reaching up with a hand to feel her now unadorned forehead. "It will tell Fox where to look for us when he comes."

At that moment a third member of the group decided to make her presence known. Marcella, a patrician, some would say arrogant, looking vixen, with steel grey fur, walked over to them. "And what makes you think Star Fox will be coming?"

Not for the first time since meeting her, Krystal's stomach soured at the very presence of the Amanoi-the Kursed-vixen. At moments like these Krystal felt as if every fiber of her being was urging her to strike out at the other vixen. The power of a centuries long blood feud pulled at her soul. Lips curled in a snarl, Krystal said through clenched teeth, "Fox will be here the moment he finds out I'm in danger. You just watch and see."

Marcella, for her part, regarded the blue vixen with the cold, calculating gaze so often worn by her kind. Most especially by the Eighty, the noble families of the Amanoi. "Indeed."

Katt, wanting to diffuse the situation before it got any more tense, looked around and asked, "Where are we?"

From up ahead, Fiora's voice rang out, echoing down the tunnel to where the three other women stood. "Guys, you better come look at this."

Casting one last glare at Marcella, which the other vixen met with practiced disinterest, Krystal made her way out of the tunnel and into...sunlight? But they were underground, weren't they? They'd known that the portal was an entrance to the deep underground of Sa-Kathona. But, if that were true, how could there be sunlight? She brought a hand up to shield her eyes while they adjusted. Once she could see properly things only got more confusing. They stood on a cliff side overlooking a lush, green valley. And, as Krystal looked towards the horizon, she notice that rather than curving downward, the horizon line curved upward. Following it, Krystal craned her neck and saw, above them, islands and continents and oceans. "The planet...it's hollow."

"Oh...my." Katt tapped Krystal's shoulder and pointed.

Following her friend's finger Krystal gasped. How could she have missed that? Ahead of them, sitting on a plateau, with waterfalls cascading off the edges to crash down into a massive lake beneath it, stood a city. But not just a city, a Krazoa city. Even from this distance Krystal recognized the grey stone and wrought iron architecture, the broad shapes visible even from this distance. "Is that what I think it is?"

A few feet away, bouncing on his heels in excitement, Doctor Arath, the man they'd been escorting on this little expedition from Cerinia, exclaimed, "Yes! Yes, a Krazoa city! And by the look of it, almost completely intact. This may be the single greatest find since Krazoa Palace on Sauria." Arath, a tall, rail thin Cerinian feline, seemed about to fuzz in excitement.

Speaking for the first time, Decius, a black furred fox with magenta colored tattoos covering most of his body, asked, "Do you think the KeyStone is there?"

"If it exists at all, then that's the most likely place for it to be hidden," Marcella answered, preempting Arath's own explanation. Krystal felt sorely tempted to admonish her.

"It exists," Arath declared. "The writings on the temple walls were quite clear."

"If you say so," Marcella replied, not quite willing to let a Cerinian's word go unchallenged. "But the writings I saw seemed vague and mystic, not concrete or clear." Marcella knew she was being contrary more out of spite than anything else. Arath had been the one to discover the cartouche that had led them to the portal. She'd studied the ancient writings as a child, and she'd been studying for years to find the KeyStone. She had dreamt of the day when she would bring it back to her father, her people, and now she'd be forced to share the glory for the find with some rodent eating Cerinian. The unfairness of it galled her to the core.

"Perhaps," said Arath, evidently more than willing to bite back at her, "Because of the Kursed's focus on matters of war and conquest, you did not see the writings of the Peace Gods so clearly. War God dialect is different, quite different at times."

Marcella bristled. Who was this scholar to insult her people's beliefs? _Oh yes, he's a Cerinian, and Cerinians are Goddess worshiping fools._ She didn't let him hear how much he'd irked her though. Instead she relied on her father's lessons on how to mask her emotions, and replied, "Our worship of the War Gods, and our focus on war and conquest has made us strong, Dr. Arath. And do not question my ability to read the sacred writings. I have studied them since I was a child."

Feeling a bit contrary herself, and not enjoying the sound of Marcella attempting to lecture a fellow Cerinian, Krystal muttered just loud enough to be overhead, "Not that strong."

Marcella rounded on her, her tail stiffening. "What was that?"

Setting her ears back defiantly, Krystal said, "Kursed strength. If you're so strong, how come you were the ones to be exiled?"

Regaining control of her quickly flaring temper, Marcella simply crossed her arms and said, "Two hundred years has passed, many things have changed."

"And yet," Krystal said, enjoying the argument despite herself, "Two hundred years ago, you lost. Nothing you do now will ever change that."

The impudent wretch. Marcella found herself growling, and she could sense the final member of their group, her bodyguard, Aemilius, stepping closer to her, his eyes darting between the two vixens, waiting for any excuse to leap to his mistress's defense.

Krystal growled back, her hackles starting to rise. If this Kursed wanted a fight, Krystal would be happy to oblige.

"Sister."

That single word, spoken with surprising calm, jerked Krystal out of her confrontation, and back into reality. She looked over at her elder sibling. Fiora, the blood red vixen who herself possessed a truly legendary temper, looked at Krystal with a look of mild reproach. Softening, Krystal nodded at Fiora and backed away a bit. She took a deep, cleansing breath to calm herself.

"Look," Katt said, stepping between Krystal and Marcella. This was the last time she let Sapphire talk her into working alongside the Amanoi. "Much as I've been enjoying the blood feud, if that city is our target location, we better get going. Decius?"

Standing at the cliff edge and looking down, Decius said, "There's a path leading down, and I can see a road through the jungle. It leads all the way up the plateau."

Katt repressed a groan. "Great. More hiking, just what I needed. Decius, if you'll lead the way?"

Motioning for the group to line up behind him, Decius did his best to lighten the mood. "Right, ladies and gentlemen, if you'll follow me, we have sensational views all around..."

Fiora rolled her eyes and followed along closely behind her betrothed, hanging onto his tail as they walked, her senses alert despite her casual manner.

"Come along Aemilius," Marcella said, "Let's make sure they don't get lost."

Aemilius, himself a bright blue vulpine, chuckled and followed just behind his mistress. Behind them, Arath shook his head and muttered, "Kursed."

"Guess we're taking the rear guard position," Katt said. She and Krystal walked a few feet behind Arath, at the very back of the group.

"Something you have a little experience with, eh?" Krystal said, wagging her tail and trying to be cheerful.

"Pfft," Katt fluffed her hair, casting her gaze about to keep an eye on their surroundings. "Who do I look like? Fara?"

Krystal's tail wagged just a bit faster. "Good point."

The two of them walked on for a few minutes, neither of them saying anything. Katt slowed her pace subtly, allowing her and Krystal to fall a bit further behind. Then she asked, "So, what's the deal with you and the Amanoi?"

Krystal's ears flicked, her former good cheer evaporating. All of a sudden she felt edgy, mostly because, without her focusing gems, she was finding it hard to read where Katt's question was coming from. She could sense the concern and curiosity, but little or nothing beyond that. "We call them Kursed," she replied. "And if you'd grown up on Cerinia, you'd know."

"Okay. Testy." Katt looked at her friend sidelong. It seemed so odd, the way Krystal seemed to spit the word "Kursed" whenever she said it, as if simply acknowledging the existence of her people's exiled brothers and sisters left a bitter taste in her mouth. Not for the first time concerning this subject, Katt was glad she'd grown up in Lylat instead of Cerinia, despite what Krystal had said.

"Sorry." Krystal's ears folded back. She shouldn't have been so rude to Katt, her friend only wanted to understand. "It's the not having my focusing gems. I'm not used to the lack of telepathic input, it makes me irritable."

"Ah." Katt nodded. That made sense. Now that she thought about, she'd almost never seen a Cerinian without focusing gems. Now she understood why. "Still," she pressed, "Fiora, Decius, Arath, they all clearly don't like the Am-" she caught herself before she could finish, "Sorry, Kursed. But you? You seem to..."

"Hate them," finished Krystal.

Katt nodded. "Yeah." It felt weird hearing Krystal say that. Before now she'd never realized Krystal could hate anything. It just didn't seem to be in her DNA.

Sensing Katt's confusion, Krystal said, "I guess that seems unusual, doesn't it?"

"A little." Katt's tail flicked, and she lowered her voice just a bit, not wanting anyone to overhear. She could tell they were getting onto a sensitive subject. "You've always been kind. Gentle even. It seems a bit out of character for you to hate something, or someone."  
Krystal shook her head. How to make her understand? Ordinarily she would have simply asked permission to enter Katt's mind, to let her see and feel what she herself felt. But without her focusing gems, that wasn't an option. _Words, come on, you know how to use those._ "Not really. The Kursed are as close to pure evil as exists in known space. They murdered millions on Cerinia before they were defeated. Then, after we exiled them, they enslaved an entire planet. I have plenty of reason, as a kind and gentle person, to hate them."

Katt remained silent for a moment, working through her friend's logic. "I suppose. But what have they done to you?"

Krystal stopped in her tracks, turning to look at Katt. The pink feline stopped as well, meeting Krystal's eyes, unabashed about the fact that she'd clearly just stepped in it with her blue friend. "Everything they've done," Krystal began, "Is an affront to their Cerinian heritage. They are a blight on this galaxy that we created," Krystal's voice remained low, but her gaze and demeanor became more and more intense. "We exiled them rather than commit the same crimes they committed on us. And so all the suffering, all the heartbreak, all the death and destruction they have visited on others is our fault. So yes, I do hate them. But more than that, I hate what our cowardice let them become."

"I know someone else just like that," Katt replied, shaking her head minutely.

"Who?" Krystal asked.

"Fox McCloud." And with that, Katt walked on.

* * *

Walking in the middle of the group, Marcella felt a light touch on her mind. Aemilius, asking permission to communicate telepathically. She let him in, giving him a mental nod as she held open a door to her mind. His voice filled her head. _"Do you truly think it's here?"_

 _"The KeyStone?"_ She received a burst of confirmation. _"Like I said, perhaps. But where I look for incontrovertible evidence, the Cerinians are willing to fill in the occasional gap with faith."_ She kept the reality of her own spiteful motivations for arguing hidden.

 _"If I may ask, what do you intend to do if it is here?"_

Marcella arched an eyebrow at him. It was a rather presumptuous question to hear from a palace guard. But then, Aemilius had been assigned to her because her father trusted him, and that was saying much, since a Princeps rarely trusted more than a handful of people. _"Why do you wish to know?"_ she asked, forcing her way into his mind and rifling around for potential schemes and hidden motivations. Having found none she withdrew, not bothering to apologize for reading his mind unbidden. Cerinians might be squeamish about using their gifts in such a manner, but that was just another reason that the Amanoi were strong and the Cerinians weak.

Recovering himself, and doing an admirable job of hiding the headache she'd no doubt given him, Aemilius said, _"Your father was less than explicit when he assigned me as your bodyguard."_

 _"He couldn't risk a potential enemy overhearing,"_ Marcella replied, electing to indulge him as a tacit form of apology. Let it never be said that she and the rest of the Eighty couldn't be magnanimous.

 _"It was a secure room though, the most secure in the entire palace. Possibly on all of Aurelius,"_ Aemilius replied, wonder evident in his mental pattern. Wonder at the possibility that his assignment was far more important than he'd been willing to hope, and that the Princeps had elected to bring him into what was clearly a plan he had told no one, not even the highest ranking members of the Assembly, about.

 _"My father did not become Princeps by being reckless,"_ Marcella responded, taking a certain satisfaction as the reality of this mission began to settle on Aemilius.

 _"May I know your intentions?"_ Aemilius asked, his posture managing to be both ramrod straight and submissive all at once. A talent almost unique to palace guards, who spent their whole lives walking the corridors of power, but never being all that powerful themselves.

Marcella glanced back around at the Cerinians, wondering for a moment if one of them might attempt to listen in. No, not possible. Cerinians were nothing if not faithful to their beliefs. They would respect her privacy, even to their own detriment. Hiding a smile at that willful foolishness, Marcella said, _"When I find the KeyStone, I intend to take it. Then, my father will use it to destroy the Cerinians once and for all."_

* * *

After many long hours of hiking, Katt sighed with relief as they finally reached the top of the plateau. Towering above them was a massive stone wall, broken only by a single open gate at the end of the road. Sitting down on a rock Katt felt sorely tempted to take off her boots and then toss them off the cliffside. "Do you think they have a spa?" Katt asked, glancing over at the city.

Settling down next to her, Krystal said, "Maybe. Why?"

Stretching her arms and popping several joints, Katt replied, "Because all I want right now is a hot bath, and a scantily clad lion masseur."

"Hmmm." Fiora hummed as she came to a stop a few feet away. "That sounds really, really, nice."

Feigning indignation, Decius said, "What? Am I not good enough for you?"

Brushing her tail against his legs Fiora responded with, "Do my toes tonight and I'll give you an answer."

"Oh fine." Decius brushed his own tail against hers, initiating a brief tail battle that left them both holding back giggles.

Looking at the Cerinians in disbelief, Marcella said, "We're not seriously stopping, are we?"

"Why not?" Katt looked at her, doing her best to keep her voice even. She was tired, hungry, sore, and did not want to move another inch. The only member of their party other than the Amanoi who still seemed energized was Dr. Arath, but then that was to be expected, this was his life's work. "We've covered a lot of ground today...though technically on the surface I think it might still be tonight. Or early morning. Whatever. Either way, I'm exhausted. We're all exhausted."

Glancing at Aemilius, Marcella decided to see if she could goad one of them into making a show of strength. "Well, I suppose it's understandable. Cerinians are soft after all."

Rubbing the fur of her cheeks, Katt said, "And fluffy. We're fluffy too. Or is that just if you're part Cerinian?"

Taking her bushy tail in both hands, Fiora made a show of inspecting it before announcing, "Nope, I'm fluffy too."

Krystal however, her pride wounded, stood up and said, "I'll go on with you Marcella."

"Oh Goddesses," Fiora muttered, putting a hand over her eyes.

"All by your lonesome?" Marcella responded, challenge in her eyes.

Krystal narrowed her gaze and said, "If that's supposed to make me scared, try again."

As the two vixens glared at each other Katt stood up from her very comfortable rock and stepped between them. "Cool off, both of you." She looked over at Arath, the Cerinian archeologist having wandered a few meters to look at a stele along the wall. "Doctor?"

Turning around the doctor seemed to notice the confrontation for the first time. "Yes?"

"Would it be sacrilege if we made ourselves at home in one the buildings?" Katt asked, trying to work out some sort of compromise between exploring the city, and stopping outside of it. And, now that she thought about it, staying inside an actual building seemed the most logical course anyways.

Arath shook his head. "No, I don't think so. The Krazoa were known for their generosity."

"Okay." Katt looked between Krystal and Marcella. "Then we'll all go inside the walls, find us a nice little abandoned hotel, and settle in. How's that?"

Marcella considered the proposal for a brief few seconds. There didn't seem to be any reason to refuse, so she agreed. "Very well."

Once those words were passed Marcella's lips Katt breathed a sigh of relief. "Alright people, let's go find that spa."

As a group they stepped through the gate, entering the city properly for the first time. Then, the moment the last of them crossed the threshold a loud, booming voice bellowed, "Who enters the city of Agartha?"

The voice was so loud that the ground seemed to shake, and as one every person in the group folded their ears down. Katt actually found that her tail had fuzzed in fright. Even as she noticed this she and the others were dropping into combat stances, pulling out rifles and sidearms and assuming a defensive formation.

In response that same, booming, overpowering voice called out, "Weapons are not allowed in a city of peace. Relinquish them!"

Katt's rifle tracked up and down along her field of fire, but she couldn't tell where the voice was coming from, or what was producing it. It seemed to echo in every direction, almost as if it were the voice of a god. "Doc?" Katt asked, hoping Arath would have a better idea of what was going on than she did.

"Do as it says," Arath replied, his voice tinged with just the smallest hint of controlled fear.

"You sure?" Katt felt reluctant to relinquish her primary means of defense, and she knew her companions were feeling much the same way.

"I don't think we have a choice," Arath responded.

"What do you..." But just as Katt was about to finish her question she saw what Arath must have been talking about. Cresting over the buildings, and spilling out into the streets, were hordes of Krazoa Jelly Drones, their tentacles crackling with deadly energy. At the sight, Katt Monroe, considered a master of obscenities by all who knew her, could think of only one response, "Oh fish."

* * *

A/N: And with this chapter we actually enter the last half of the story. The story turned out to be shorter than I originally thought it would be, but then I do prefer my stories to be short and sweet. More like an episode of Star Trek than a three hour movie.

I have the next two chapters both about a third of the way done, they just need a rough and then final draft. I think I'll shoot to have them both uploaded, and this story complete by the end of the month, but we'll see.

Anyways, I hope you enjoyed, and don't forget to leave a review!

-general whitefur


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N:** This one gets a little intense, fair warning.

* * *

 **Chapter 5**

 _ **City of Agartha,**_

 _ **Sa-Kathona,**_

 _ **Planet Interior,**_

 _ **40 Hours Before Star Fox's Arrival**_

"Alright, put the guns down everyone," Katt ordered, lowering her weapon first. The Jelly Drones continued to approach, but Katt could see the crackling electricity on their tentacles begin to dissipate. Krystal, Fiora, and Decius all lowered their weapons along with her. The Amanoi, however, seemed determined to write a different story.

"You can't be serious," Aemilius exclaimed, keeping his weapon aimed at the oncoming jellies. "How do you know we can trust this...whatever it is?"

"I don't think we have much of a choice," Fiora responded. Truth be told she didn't like the situation either, but she trusted Katt to know what was best for the group. She'd never led them astray before.

"We could fight. Jelly Drones are notoriously ineffective combatants. " Aemilius replied, his finger tightening slightly on the trigger. What were these Cerinians thinking? Trusting a voice from above when surrounded by a horde of hostile beings. A horde of hostile beings obviously being controlled by that voice from above. It just didn't make sense.

"I agree with Aemilius," Marcella added. "We should..."

Before she could finish her sentence the loud, booming voice nearly deafened them once again. "If you will not relinquish your weapons, you _will_ perish."

The hackles on Ameilius's neck raised, his ears flattening as he assumed an even more aggressive posture. "That sounds like a threat."

"Don't be stupid," Krystal growled. Yet again the Amanoi were demonstrating their usual level of paranoia. It came as no surprise that one of the principal philosophies of Amanoi society could be summed up as: strength through paranoia.

"You willfully violate the sanctity of the city," the voice declared. There was a sigh, then, "Punishment must be exacted."

The army of Jelly Drones was in motion before the echoes of the voice had even fully faded away. Arcs of electrical energy pulsed along their tentacles as they closed around Aemilius. Rather than doing the sensible thing and lowering his weapon and surrendering, Aemilius chose instead to open fire. Plasma bolts erupted from the muzzle of his rifle, catching one of the Jelly Drones in its dome. It would not be enough however. Though Jelly Drones were laughably easy to take down in small numbers, in large groups they were nearly unstoppable, floating relentlessly towards their target while remaining heedless of their own losses. Within seconds they had surrounded the Amanoi palace guard, their electrified tentacles wrapping around him. The air filled with the scent of burning fur and flesh as Aemilius screamed. A few seconds later it was over, and Aemilius was little more than a pile of smoking ash on the ground.

Anger flashing through her, Katt stalked up to Marcella, grabbed the other Amanoi's weapon, and threw it across the street. Marcella snarled at the pink feline, her eyes wide with both anger and horror at the death of her bodyguard. "What do you think you're doing?"

"You wanna end up dead, you do it on your own time," Katt hissed in reply. Craning her neck towards the sky, Katt said, "Whoever you are, we've complied, we don't mean any harm."

At first it seemed like whatever was controlling the Jelly Drones had decided to stop listening. Then, after a moment, the drones began to back away, their tentacles no longer sparking. "State your intentions."

Looking over at the pile of ash that had been Aemilius, Marcella couldn't help but shake her head. He had been loyal, and had performed his duties to the very last moment. She would speak to her father about a commendation for him and his family. With that in mind she stepped forward, facing the Jelly Drones without a hint of fear. "We come seeking the KeyStone."

"Who might you be, that you seek a KeyStone of the Krazoa?" The loud, booming voice inquired.

Marcella stood a bit straighter and proudly announced herself, "I am Marcella, daughter of Marcellus, Princeps of the Amanoi."

"And who are these others?" The voice asked.

Krystal saw Katt about to step forward, but the blue vixen put a hand on the feline's shoulder and shook her head as she stepped forward instead. "I am Krystal Zonoc, daughter of Jade and Sapphire Zonoc. My mother is the High Priestess of Tenked, first Temple Town of Cerinia. These are _my_ companions, Katt Monroe, my elder sister Fiora, and her betrothed Decius. We also come in search of the KeyStone."

"You are of Cerinia?" The voice asked.

"Yes," Krystal answered.

"Then you have claim."

Krystal felt a rush of excitement course through her. They were so close to achieving their goal. And once they had the KeyStone, no one, not even the Amanoi, would be able to threaten Cerinian again.

"And what of the Amanoi?" Marcella could feel Krystal glaring at her. She ignored the other vixen, perfectly content to let her seethe about having competition. "We were also once of Cerinia."

Krystal cringed inwardly at the sound of those words. That reminder that, at one point, the Cerinians and the Amanoi had been one and the same. She knew enough about the ancient lore of the Krazoa, and her people's relationship with them, to know that they were unlikely to see a distinction between one group of Cerinians and another. After all, a million years ago this conflict hadn't existed, and both Krystal and Marcella's people had lived in happy, ignorant savagery under the watchful eyes of the Krazoa.

As Marcella stood there she felt a presence probing at her mind. Her mental defenses immediately went up, doing their best to guard against this unsanctioned entrance. However, almost the moment those defenses were raised they were swept aside, the mental probe burrowing into her mind, rifling through her memories to determine the truthfulness of her words. Marcella had never felt anything like this. Even her father, reputed to be one of the strongest telepaths amongst the Amanoi, could not have batted aside her barriers so quickly and easily. Or so elegantly. The power she felt was both overwhelming and restrained, focused tightly on one thing, and one thing only. In total the experience lasted perhaps a second, maybe two, and then it was done, and Marcella's mind was her own again.

"You also have claim," the voice intoned.

Krystal repressed a growl of frustration. She glanced back at her friends for a moment, and Fiora nodded at her, letting her know they still trusted her to handle the situation. Turning back Krystal said, "Who's claim supersedes?"

"You are in conflict?"

"Without question." Marcella locked gazes with the blue vixen. Krystal stared right back, her eyes full of challenge.

"Yes, we are at odds," Krystal said. "And my people are going to win," she added softly.

"Then one of you must prove yourself to be pure of heart," the voice informed them. "Who shall it be from each side?"

"I will prove myself pure of heart." Marcella volunteered without hesitation. Whatever the test would be she would pass it, and then she would bring her prize back to her people, and they would end this centuries long blood feud with the Cerinians.

Turning back to her friends Krystal walked up to doctor Arath. "Arath, this really is your expedition," she told him, determined to offer the honor to the feline first, no matter how much she wanted to take it for herself.

The slender feline shook his head however. "You are the daughter of a High Priestess. I didn't expect to find an Oracle, or perhaps even a true Krazoa, here. It is your blood which must volunteer, not mine."  
Krystal nodded, doing her best to exude the gratitude she felt at both his humility and his consent for her to step in. Not having her focusing gems made that more difficult, but judging from the look on his face Arath seemed to have gotten the message.

Standing next to her sister, Fiora radiated concern. "Sis, are you sure? Who knows what you're getting into."

Krystal just smiled and hugged her sister. "Don't worry. Besides, it's a test for the pureness of the heart, we can't exactly send Katt now can we?"

"Phbbbt." Katt stuck her tongue out at Krystal, though her eyes danced with a combination of amusement and worry.

Stepping up beside Fiora, Decius said to Krystal, "Goddesses watch over you."

"And also you," Krystal replied.

With one final nod Krystal returned to stand by Marcella. "I will prove myself pure of heart," she said.

"It is decided," the voice responded. "Step forward."

A pair of octogonal platforms levitated themselves out of the ground in front of them, their surfaces suffused with a faint purplish glow. Krystal stepped forward and mounted one while Marcella mounted the other. As soon as they were both standing on the platforms there was a flash of light, after which both vixens disappeared.

"Sister!" Fiora ran forward, one arm outstretched, panic flooding through her for a moment. It must have been a teleporter, it was the only possible explanation, but for whatever reason she hadn't been ready for it. She felt Decius's hand on her shoulder and let her arm drop to her side, her ears flushing with embarrassment.

"They will be safe," the disembodied voice assured them. "You must remain here. Food and drink will be provided for your comfort. Marcella and Krystal will be returned to you once they have completed their tests."

There was a rustling noise behind them, and Fiora turned to see a group of Jelly Drones approaching even as the ones that had been surrounding them receded, floating off to attend to whatever tasks they had left behind. As the Jelly Drones approached Fiora couldn't help but feel the ghost of a smile on her lips as she saw what they were carrying in their tentacles. Chairs, couches, and even a large tent covering, as well as trays of food and ewers which, she assumed, carried water and other liquids.

Within moments the Jelly Drones had set up a picnic area fit for the most posh of Brahmin garden parties. As soon as they were done they floated away, following after their compatriots. "I wonder where they're going."

"Probably attending to maintenance for the city," Arath responded. "The Jelly Drones are multipurpose, and are engaged in building and repairing Krazoa sites much more often than in combat."

Fiora nodded. "Interesting. I never knew that."

Settling herself down on a dining couch Katt took a bunch of grapes and started popping them into her mouth, humming with approval at the sweet, juicy taste of them. "This is more like it," she said, stretching out on the cushions.

Sitting down on the edge of one of the chairs, Decius began bouncing his foot. "How can you think of food at a time like this?"

"Hey, first order of business is always survival." Katt popped a few more grapes into her mouth. "That and I'm hungry."

Fiora shook her head, crossing her arms over her chest. "Katt, when are you not hungry?"

"Good question." Katt finished off the vine she was eating and then grabbed another one. She could tell her team's morale was getting dangerously low, so she decided now would be a good time to try and reassure them. "Look, one way or another, the voice promised they'd be back. I didn't sense any deception, even with my admittedly limited empathic powers, so what about you pure breeds? Was he lying?"

Fiora thought about it for a moment. She touched minds with Decius, the two of them sharing their impressions of the nearly overpowering force they had sensed behind the voice. For a moment Fiora wondered if, had Krystal had her focusing gems and been able to truly sense the being she was trusting, if she still would have gone. It was a stupid question. Fiora knew that, if anything, it only would have made her sister more determined to try. They'd inherited a love of challenge from their parents, and this situation certainly seemed challenging enough.

Looking back at Katt the blood red vixen shook her head. "No. I don't think he was lying."

"Same," Decius replied, though his foot continued to bounce nervously.

"Okay, good, then don't worry," Katt said. She looked over at Arath, who had wandered off to look at a series of inscriptions on a building wall. She smiled. Academics were always so easily distracted. Wrapped up in their own little worlds, rarely surfacing for a dose of reality with any regularity.

Settling herself down on a chair next to Decius, Fiora began to pick at a knot in her tail. "How can we not worry?"

Picking up one of the ewers of liquid Katt poured some into a goblet. She brought it to her nose and sniffed, eyes lighting up. "Oooh. Booze."

"Really?" Fiora looked at the pink feline askance, not quite believing her.

"No. Just," she took a sip, her nose having failed to positively identify the drink. "I'm not sure actually. It tastes good though." She took another sip, then looked at both Fiora and Decius. "Look, we hiked a billion light years to get here, and I'm hungry and tired. Krystal is a big girl who can take care of herself, and either way, we can't help her. So relax. The less you worry, the faster the time will pass."

Fiora sighed, wishing she could truly take Katt's advice. She knew though that, no matter what her rational mind tried to tell her, she was going to spend the time waiting for Krystal's return with a big ball of nervous energy in the pit of her stomach. "Fine. Although Sabre is going to flip when he hears I let her go alone."

"Yes." Decius nodded. "Yes he will."

"I offered your little bro a job with us," Katt replied, scarfing down a loaf of bread, crumbs collecting on her chest. "He said no though."

"Mother and father said no," Fiora corrected. "He's only eighteen. And, morbid as it sounds, mother and father would like one heir to be out of harm's way." Memories of the tirade her brother had let loose to her and Krystal in his bedroom after mother and father's decision flooded back to Fiora. It made her smile. Sabre, with his dark red fur, and with features that made him look like a younger version of his father, had quite literally gone out of his mind with a combination of outrage and worry about not being around to help protect his big sisters. He'd gotten over it since then, mostly. Though Fiora knew he'd jump at the chance to come fly with them the moment Sapphire or Jade might start to waver. When they got back, Fiora would see about getting their parents to let him stay on the ship when they had some downtime between missions, just to indulge him.

"Huh." Katt shrugged, stuffing the last of the bread loaf in her mouth and chewing noisily. She swallowed, then said, "Ahhh. Well, hangar's always open." She yawned then, and her eyes drifted shut. Before Fiora or Decius could say anything in response the pink feline was purring softly as she drifted off to sleep.

"Oh to be Katt," Fiora said, getting up and then settling back down in Decius's lap.

Decius put an arm around her, holding her close as he breathed in her scent, the familiar smell dispelling some of his worry for Krystal. "To be Katt indeed."

* * *

Krystal's ears fluttered. She could hear something. Actually, if she listened, she could hear a lot of different things. But above them all she could hear a loud and familiar roar. Explosions. Beneath them she could hear the crackling of flames, and the acrid smell of smoke assaulted her nostrils. Her eyes opened and she lifted herself up, trying to keep herself from panicking at the things she was sensing. Even without her focusing gems she could feel the fear that permeated the air. She could sense the overwhelming amount of death that surrounded her. But for the life of her she couldn't understand why she sensed, heard, and smelled all those things. Just moments ago she had been with her friends, being challenged by a voice to prove herself pure of heart. How did she end up here? And where was here?

A distant shriek broke her from her reverie, jolting her back into the present. The past? The future? Somewhere in between? "Where am I?"

She looked around her. As far as the eye could see she saw nothing but bombed out buildings, flames gushing from their windows. She felt a sudden rush of air and looked up to see a pair of fighter craft strafing the city, their blue lasers incinerating everything in their path. More screaming filled the air, and Krystal's panic reaction began to trigger as she sensed the terror of the people she couldn't see, but knew were there.

Then she heard footsteps. She turned in their direction and saw a couple running down the street. They were vulpine, and judging by their coloration they appeared Cerinian. The woman was carrying a child in her arms. Krystal was about to run over to them and ask them where she was, what was going on, but then a burst of red plasma lanced out of a plume of smoke, cutting the man down, the woman stumbling over her companion, the child falling to the ground.

The woman reached for the child, trying to get back on her feet, but another burst of plasma burned through her, piercing her heart. Krystal gasped, horrified at what she was witnessing. "Mater! Mater! Pater!" the little boy screamed, shaking the man and the woman, tears streaming down his cheeks.

Krystal's eyes widened as she recognized the words. "That's...those are Amanoi words. Where am I?"

There was a rustling beside her, a brief gust of cool wind, and then a Krazoa appeared before her. "The very depths of your heart," the Krazoa said, looking on at the carnage from behind the unreadable stone mask worn by the Krazoa Brothers.

"No." Krystal was horrified, shaking her head vigorously. "No, this cannot be. This isn't who I am."

Her eyes turned back to the child, still screaming, pounding his fists against his parents, begging them to get up. Then, from the smoke, two warriors appeared. They were helmeted and armored, anonymous except for one marking across their breastplates. "No," Krystal whispered. "It can't be." The warriors bore the markings of Clan Zonoc.

Seeing the warriors the child let out another scream, rushing towards them with fists raised. The soldiers took aim with their staffs. "NO!" Krystal screamed, but she found herself rooted in place, able to do nothing but watch as the child was cut down instantly by fire from the warrior's staffs.

Holding her head in her hands Krystal felt herself beginning to panic as things clicked into place. "This is wrong. I recognize this now. This was the Amanoi's last city on Cerinia. We struck them here, defeated them, but...but this isn't how it happened!"

"Isn't it?" The Krazoa asked softly.

The scene changed. Krystal and the Krazoa were standing in the city center. The city still burned around them, and in the distance staff and laser fire could be heard. Looking around Krystal saw families lined up, Amanoi families, crying, begging, parents trying to shield their children. In front of them stood Cerinian warriors, many of them bearing the Zonoc mark. They ignored the Amanoi's pleas for mercy, the fire from their staffs lighting up the night sky.

"Stop it!" Krystal cried, tears in her eyes as she witnessed the massacre.

The scene changed again. The gutters in the streets were filled with blood. Charred bodies littered the ground. Cerinian warriors kicked down the doors to the few houses that weren't already in flames. Krystal could feel their murderous intent. She could feel the fear of their victims. "This...this isn't what we did," Krystal whimpered. "We showed mercy!"

Next to her the Krazoa nodded. "But you should not have. Isn't that right?"

"W-what?" Krystal couldn't believe what she was hearing. How could a Krazoa say something like that? The Krazoa she knew were gods and goddesses of peace. They had taught their children kindness and mercy. So how could he say something like that?

"Is this not what you thought should have happened?" the Krazoa pressed her.

Then it all finally made sense. What she was seeing, what the Krazoa was saying. She realized that, deep in her heart, somewhere, she had thought this murderous, merciless spectacle necessary. She had thought her people cowards for not finishing the Amanoi when they had the chance, for refusing to do what the Amanoi doubtless would have done to the Cerinians if given the chance. And she realized just how disgusted she was with herself, for holding onto and nursing such a vehement hatred. "I..." Krystal's voice cracked as she began to sob. "No. No please. Stop it. Make them stop."

The Krazoa lowered his head, his own voice deeply pained. "I can't. You don't want me to."

Krystal stared at him, aghast. "What?"

The Krazoa looked up again, the pearl eyes in his mask glowing with sadness, his voice choked with a bitter irony, "You wished your people had not been cowards. Well, look. What is this if not courage?"

Krystal felt herself break. It was as if decades, centuries, of hatred simply snapped inside of her. The walls she had built up to keep it in, keep it where she could swim in it, wallow in it, broke and it all flooded out of her. She felt lighter all of a sudden. She felt as if the bonds that had surrounded her, blinded her to the truth of her beliefs, had been cut. She turned to look at the destruction, saw a group of soldiers preparing to cut down an old man. With a scream of defiance she lunged forward, the fires of death from the Cerinian staffs hit her instead, and everything went dark.

* * *

A/N: Alright, here it is, the penultimate chapter. One more to go.

There isn't a whole lot I want to say about this chapter, other than that the final half was pretty difficult to write. I think that's the most intense I've ever gotten in my stories. Trust me, it isn't going to be happening on a regular basis, but this seemed more appropriate for proving pureness of heart than, I don't know, finding a Krazoa in an urn.

I have the last chapter all sketched out, so the next update should be out relatively soon. Until then...

-general furfurfurfurfurfurfurfur fur


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

 _ **Location Unknown**_

 _ **Time Before Star Fox Arrives: Unknown**_

Krystal sat bolt upright, her eyes flying open. Her fur was damp with sweat, and her heart was racing. She looked around, but she couldn't see anything. The room she was in was pitch black, except for one small area. A shaft of light illuminated the place where Marcella sat, arms holding her legs against her, a haunted look on her face. Krystal noticed that, for the first time, looking at Marcella didn't cause her to feel that same immediate sense of revulsion as it had before. Instead her feeling remained more or less neutral, as if she were meeting and seeing the other vixen for the first time, free to make her own judgements based not on what she thought of Marcella's people, but on who Marcella herself was.

Standing up Krystal paced over to where Marcella sat. "Marcella, what happened?"

It took a moment for the steel grey vixen to respond. When she looked up at Krystal, her gaze was empty of the arrogance, the self assuredness, and the contempt it had once carried. "I saw _them_."

"Who?" Krystal asked, wondering what could have frightened the formerly unshakable Amanoi warrior.

Marcella just shook her head and resumed staring at her knees, tears beginning to wet her cheek ruffs. "I've been a fool," she whispered. "A fool."

Not sure what else to say, Krystal simply said, "It seems we have that much in common."

"What did he show you?" Marcella asked, rocking slightly as she sat there.

"Courage," Krystal responded. "And you?" Krystal asked.

"Folly," Marcella replied, shaking her head, tail curling around her legs.

There was a brief rush of air, a soft whispering sound, and then the Krazoa from Krystal's vision appeared. He looked first at Krystal, then at Marcella, then at both of them. "You have both proven yourselves," he stated.

"Have I really?" Marcella asked, her voice barely more than a whimper as she cradled herself.

"I..." Krystal shook her head, feeling the same sense of disbelief that she knew Marcella did. "No. No, we're not ready." Having seen the darkest parts of her heart, Krystal knew that she and her people were not ready for the power that the KeyStone would grant them. If Krystal, a gentle, kind, loving soul could have that amount of evil buried deep inside her, waiting for a chance to escape and assert itself, then she knew there were others, many others, with the same deeply buried urges.

The Krazoa shook his head. "No child. As pure of heart as you may be, no, you are not ready."

That got Marcella to shift her eyes away from her knees and up to the Krazoa. But where Krystal would have expected anger and indignation she saw only despair. "Then we are to return empty handed? Doomed to the fate you showed me!" Her voice broke, her throat constricting as a sudden sob wracked her body.

"Doom is not decided by me," the Krazoa said, the light that surrounded him dimming. "Fate is fluid, and in the hands of mortals. Gods..." he paused, then look at them, projecting the gravity of his next statement to them through his telepathy. "Gods cannot control it."

Krystal looked at Marcella, suddenly convinced that whatever the Amanoi vixen had seen had been far more terrible than anything she herself had been exposed to during her trial. "What did he show you? Really?"

Marcella just shook her head, refusing to speak.

"She cannot say, for I showed her a future," explained the Krazoa. "That knowledge will remain locked within her until that day becomes the present. What she does in the time until then, is her choice."

"I see," Krystal said. She'd have been envious if it weren't obvious how terrifying the vision had been for Marcella. In the long history of Krystal's people, visions like that from the gods had only been recorded a handful of times, and none of them had occurred within living memory. Krystal considered Marcella for a moment, wondering if she could comfort her in some way. Kneeling down she set a hand on the grey vixen's knee, feeling awkward the moment she did. Much to her surprise however, Marcella grabbed it and clung to it, her grip shaky but strong. "I think we'd both like to go back now."

"Of course," the Krazoa said, his voice kind. "And I believe there is someone waiting for you."

* * *

"Two days? She's been gone for two days and you sat here stuffing your face? Goddammit Katt!" Fox yelled, his face contorted in rage, every ounce of willpower he had just barely preventing him from strangling the pink feline with his bare hands.

Doing her best to appear unperturbed in the face of the orange vulpine's tirade, Katt tried to reassure him. "Chill Fox, she's fine. I know it. Right guys?" She looked at Fiora and Decius, her gaze imploring them to back her up.

"I can't sense her one way or another," Fiora said, looking grim. "The presence that took her wasn't lying, I'm certain of that, but I can't say for myself whether she's alright or not."

Katt, looking stricken, turned to Decius. "D. Come on? She's fine, isn't she?"

"I'm in the same boat with Fiora," Decius answered.

Fox, who had been watching Fiora and Decius as they spoke, turned his head back to Katt, meeting the pink feline's eyes. "Katt..." he growled.

"Look, it was a loud, scary ass freaking voice," Katt said, trying to defend herself. "She volunteered, and he said she would be fine, and we knew he wasn't lying, so there was no point worrying, so I didn't worry, and I was hungry and..." Seeing that none of this was having the desired effect on Fox the pink feline shut her mouth and did her best to keep her fur from fuzzing.

Muzzle curled up in a snarl, Fox said, "If she comes back with so much as a hair missing..."

He didn't need to finish the threat to get his point across. Katt blanched and said meekly, "She'll be fine Fox. Seriously."

"Fox..." Wolf said, deciding that as a neutral third party it might be time for him to try and defuse the situation. It turned out to be a catastrophic mistake.

"Shut up Wolf!" Fox rounded on the lupine, a death mask of anger and worry covering his face. "You have been absolutely useless this entire mission. The only reason you're here is to remind me that I'm doing Andross a favor by not letting this kick off into a war. So just. Stay. Out of it."

All around him his friends and rival were staring at him, the telepaths able to sense the violent roil of emotions bubbling inside of him. After a few seconds Fox kicked at a pebble on the ground, muttered, "Ah hell," and stormed off.

* * *

 _ **LFSC Lylat's Pride,**_

 _ **Sa-Kathona System,**_

 _ **The Expanse,**_

Boniface Whitefur sat sat in his quarters with his feet propped up on his desk. Leaning back in his chair, his uniform half undone, he sipped a cup of steaming hot tea. His ears were being serenaded by the wonderful, husky voice of his wife, Fara Phoenix, as he listened to the letter she had sent him. He was off duty now, and looking forward to getting some sleep, or as much sleep as he could with two armed fleets pointing guns at each other just on the other side of his ship's hull. But Fara always came first.

"...and when you get back, assuming you can get some leave, we are going to spend an entire weekend at our love nest. Hell, maybe a week if we can get out of the usual social obligations. And you know what that means, don't you snookums?"

"I've married a madwoman." Boniface found a bit of color coming to his ears, wondering if she'd start going into detail just to get a rise out of him and his Old Brahmin sense of propriety. "Not to mention snookums, I do hope she doesn't really intend to start calling me that."

"Daddy has also had me sitting in on board meetings lately," Fara's recording continued. "I don't think he's going to retire any time soon, but I do get the feeling he's grooming me to be his successor." She paused for a moment, and Boniface knew what she had to be thinking. They'd discussed the topic several times before, and her concerns were always the same. Even so, he'd gladly listen to them as many times as she needed him to in order to work things out for herself. "I don't know though. I love ship design, and test piloting but...running a business? I feel like I'd be so busy going over yearly earnings and dealing with shareholders that I'd never design a ship again." A sigh. "We'll see. And oh! I have something simply amazing to tell you. You know Christopher Nightshade? The legendary composer, conductor, and pianist? The one who's going to be performing for the Federation Day celebration at the Government House? Well, I met him and..."

"Captain Whitefur to the bridge." The voice from the intercom interrupted Fara's letter, and soon everything she was saying was drowned out as alert klaxons began sounding.

"Sorry my dear," Boniface said, pausing the recording, "I'll have to hear all about it later." Buttoning up his uniform he tapped the comm panel by his door and said, "I'm on my way."

Walking out into the corridor he made straight for the nearest turbolift. Stepping in he said, "Bridge." The turbolift set itself into motion, and a moment later the doors opened onto the command deck. Entering the bridge he looked to his first officer, commander Moreau, a Doberman, and asked, "What's happening?"

Moreau vacated the captain's chair and took up a position just behind and to the right of it. Whitefur sat down, taking a look at the main viewing screen. "It seems both sides of have lost patience with each other," Moreau informed him.

"What do you mean?" Whitefur knew he didn't really need to ask, but he wanted specifics. He felt his stomach tying itself into knots even as he spoke, but he put on the confident expression every captain learned to use during dangerous situations. _Come along Boniface, stiff upper lip and all that,_ he thought to himself.

"We monitored a flurry of communications between the two fleets. Comms managed to decode most of it, and it seems they're both accusing the other of attempting to sabotage the rescue mission," Moreau informed him, his tone professional and neutral, a clear sign to Boniface that his first officer understood just how bad their situation was becoming.

"Has there been any movement?" Whitefur inquired, glancing at the tactical officer.

The cheetah at the station nodded. "Both fleets have moved out of Sa-Kathona's gravity well, and they do appear to be charging weapons."

"Giving themselves room to maneuver," Boniface muttered. More loudly he said, "Well, they haven't fired yet, and we're not going to give them the chance. Hail my Venomian counterpart on the _Enlightened Rule_."

"Aye sir," came the comm officer's reply, a poodle ensign. "They are responding."

"On screen." The image of the two fleets massing just outside of Sa-Kathona's gravity well was replaced by the image of the simian captain Conrad. Whitefur forgoed the usual pleasantries, instead saying, "Captain, I assume you are aware of the current situation."

"I am," Conrad replied, his voice bearing just the slightest hint of the artificial modulation common to Venomian officers. "I have attempted to contact the Amanoi commander, but he has refused communication. Our scanners also indicate additional Amanoi reinforcements inbound."

Boniface glanced over at this tactical officer. The cheetah nodded, confirming Conrad's information. Turning back to his counterpart, Boniface said, "Captain, if we don't do something about this, everything here is going to fall apart, and you and I are going to be on opposite sides of a very big and very ugly war."

"It would seem so," Conrad responded, his red command visor making his expression near impossible to read. "Do you have a plan?"

"Yes." Boniface nodded. "But not a very good one though, I'm afraid."

Conrad was silent for a moment, then replied, "As I cannot see a solution, I'll follow your bad plan."

"Thank you," Boniface said, his voice as gracious as if he were addressing the Lord of the Grantham Isles himself. "Helm?"

"Sir?" The female avian at the comm station glanced back at her captain for a brief few seconds, awaiting her orders.

"Put us right between those two fleets," Boniface ordered her. "Directly in their fields of fire. And make sure that if they move, we move with them."

"Sir?" The helmsman looked stunned, unsure if she had heard her commanding officer correctly.

"Carry out my order ensign," Boniface said gently. _I can't wait to hear what admiral Hatch says when she hears about this,_ he thought privately.

"Yes sir." The helmsman nodded, tapping buttons on her control board, then she announced, "Course plotted, engaging at one quarter sub-light."

The deck plates rumbled beneath him as the _Pride_ 's massive, plasma driven, sub-light engines maneuvered her into position. Addressing the viewscreen, which still showed the red visored visage of the Venomian commander, Boniface said, "Captain Conrad, if you would do the same?"

Nodding to someone off screen, Conrad said, "We are paralleling your course."

"Sir, we are in position," the helmsman reported.

"Excellent. Maintain this position relative to both fleets," Whitefur said, his voice calm even as he gripped the arms of his chair, willing his hands not to shake.

"Sir, we're being hailed. It's the Cerinians," the comm officer reported.

"Captain Conrad, I'll leave you to deal with your people while I deal with mine. I assume I can trust you not to inflame things further?"

"The Emperor was quite explicit," Conrad responded. "I am to do whatever is necessary to prevent a war. Good luck captain."

Boniface nodded. "And good luck to you captain." With that Conrad blinked off the screen. "Put the Cerinians on."

Barely a second later the screen was filled with the feline image of a sabre toothed Kathari female, her eyes seeming to glow with shock, confusion, and outrage. "Captain, just what do you think you're doing?" she demanded, her voice filtered through the ship's automatic translator.

"Preventing you from firing," Boniface informed her, ice in his tone.

The Kathari commander-no-admiral, judging by the sash she wore, glared at Boniface through the viewscreen. "This is not your affair. The Kursed sent for additional vessels, and we will not allow them to land troops on Sa-Kathona."

"Do they intend to?" Boniface asked. He needed to find some way to talk her and the other Cerinians and Kathari down.

"It is the only reason they would send for additional vessels," answered the Kathari admiral.

Whitefur sighed, making sure it was loud enough to be picked up by the ship's audio, but soft enough not to sound condescending or impatient. "Admiral, if you start shooting at the Amanoi, and they start shooting back, what do you think will happen?"

"They are Kursed!" The feline hissed. "And war will happen. What else would?" the Kathari replied, seemingly unbothered by the possibility. That in and of itself was not a shock. The Kathari had always been the muscle in the Cerinian-Kathari Union, a predatory species protective towards the world their moon orbited above.

"Are you really willing to risk that?" Boniface asked, hoping to appeal to the more peaceful Cerinian sensibilities that were a part of the Union's cultural fusion.

"I have my orders. I am to rescue our people on Sa-Kathona. And, as Star Fox's attempt has obviously failed, no doubt due to Kursed treachery, I have no choice but to prepare my own landing parties," the Kathari admiral answered, displaying her people's well known stubbornness.

 _This isn't working. She's not going to stand down. I need to keep her talking, and hopefully Fox will make contact before this really goes south,_ Boniface thought to himself. He was conscious of how his entire bridge crew was watching him, even as they maintained a watch on their instruments. "Admiral, I have my orders as well, and I cannot allow the Federation to get dragged into a war over this. I will fire on any Cerinian-Kathari vessel that attempts to land on the surface."

A stunned hush fell over the bridge, the crew shocked to hear those words coming from their commander. The Cerinians and the Kathari were allies of the Federation weren't they? _We are,_ Boniface wanted to tell them, _but right now the Federation needs peace at all costs. We aren't ready for another war, and dammit we don't want one. Not really._

The Kathari admiral shook her head, obviously putting what she'd heard down as a transmission error. "You wouldn't dare."

"Sir," the tactical officer said, his voice rising in pitch. "A transport vessel just left one of the Cerinian capital ships, heading for the surface."

 _She thinks she's calling my bluff. If only she were right. Well, here goes nothing. Everything._ Boniface didn't take his eyes off the Kathari admiral as he spoke, "Lieutenant, lock weapons and prepare to fire."

There was the briefest hesitation, then, "Weapons locked sir."

"Admiral, please don't force me to do this," Boniface implored.

The Kathari stared back, daring him to step over the line fully.

"Sir," the tactical officer said. "The transport will exit our weapons range in twenty seconds."

 _Dammit._ "You force my hand."

The Kathari admiral looked victorious, convinced she'd just won this game of chicken.

Still staring at the Kathari, Boniface said, "Lieutenant...fire."

* * *

Down in the city of Agartha, Fox walked along the cobblestone streets, kicking at pebbles and ignoring the view as he stared down at the focusing gems in his hand. Part of him felt bad for losing control back there. He trusted Katt with his life, and he knew she'd never be reckless with Krystal's life. He also knew that, if something dangerous needed to be done, it usually meant Krystal would be the first one to volunteer for it. And he knew, from experience, that Krystal did not back down. "Man, I really flew off the handle back there," he muttered to himself. He didn't expect a response, so he didn't quite believe it when he got one.

"It's alright darling, you were worried about me."

For the briefest of instants Fox couldn't believe he'd actually heard the soft, sweetly accented voice coming from behind him. It wasn't possible after all, she couldn't be here. It must just have been some last whisper from the focusing gems. Then, as if to answer his question, the focusing gems in his hands began to glow green and vibrate. Fox's eyes widened and he whirled around, his face split in a big, dopey smile. "Krystal!"

Krystal, standing just a few feet away from him, jumped into his waiting arms and kissed him full on the mouth. Holding her up, cradling her against him, Fox returned the kiss full force, wrestling with her tongue as he had so many times, relishing in the familiar combat. When they broke the kiss Fox just began to gush, "Oh my...I was so worried. And Katt said...and then you weren't there and, and..."

"Shhhh," Krystal put a finger on his muzzle, quieting him. "I'm alright. A little shaken up but alright."

Fox nodded, biting playfully at her finger. "Don't you ever go missing on me again," he said, fighting back the sudden urge to cry.

Krystal just wrapped her arms around his neck, nuzzling into him. "I can't promise that. But I will promise that if you ever go missing, I'll move galaxies to find you."

Feeling his emotional control come back just enough to prevent him from sobbing, even if a single tear did manage to escape, he told her, "Okay. Yeah. Okay. I know, we both do dangerous work and, well, neither of us going to stop anytime soon. I just..." he paused to look her in the eye. "I promise you the same."

The two of them kissed again, then Fox said, "Oh and, uh, I have these for you." He did his best to hand her the gems while still keeping her aloft in his arms. He didn't want to put her down for a good long while, and he knew he could carry her around like this all day without breaking a sweat.

"Thank you," she replied, putting them on. "Ahhh. Much better." She frowned then. "You really were worried."

Blushing, Fox replied, "Can you blame me?"

"No." Krystal shook her head, her hair swaying with the motion. "Now come on, let's get back to the others."

"Alright." Fox started to walk back the way he'd come, but then he remembered something. "No. Wait!"

"What is it?" Krystal asked, concern etching itself on her face, her focusing gems telling her loud and clear that something was terribly wrong.

"We need to get somewhere I can send a comm message, right now."

"Fox, whatever is the matter?" Krystal asked, sensing his mounting panic.

"There are two fleets of warships up there, looking for you and pointing guns at each other," Fox explained as quickly as he could. "Wolf and I were the rescue party, but they haven't heard from us in...how long have we been gone?"

"It took us about eight to ten hours to get here," Krystal said, beginning to understand the source of Fox's worry. "How about you?"

"Oh jeez." Fox shook his head, setting Krystal down on her own two feet and tapping at his wrist comm. "I know it doesn't sound like much, but I just...well I got a bad feeling about this. And this thing isn't getting through whatever the interference around here is."

"It's alright, we'll ask the Krazoa," Krystal said, sending out a telepathic signal she felt sure the Krazoa guardian here would pick up on.

A few seconds later the Krazoa appeared. "What do you need child?"

"We need to contact our friends in orbit right away," Krystal explained.

The Krazoa nodded. "I have activated a comm relay, it will cut through the interference and allow you to speak to anyone in orbit. I suggest you hurry, they appear to be at odds."

Tapping the button for the _Lylat's Pride_ 's comm frequency, Fox started to retrace his steps again. "Whitefur? Whitefur come in. _Lylat's Pride_ do you read? This is Fox McCloud, we've found the missing teams, and they're okay. Please respond."

A tense few seconds passed, then, "Fox? Fox is that you?"

"Yes, yes it is. Bonny, what the hell is going on up there?" Fox asked urgently.

"Lieutenant, detonate that torpedo now!" Two seconds passed, then Whitefur's voice returned, "Fox, you're timing is nothing short of impeccable."

"Are people shooting at each other up there?" Fox found himself getting angry again. _If we all went through this for nothing..._

"Not exactly," Boniface replied. "Look, I'll explain it all when you get back, right now I have some seriously ruffled feathers to smooth out."

"Understood," Fox said, then added in his best approximation of Falco's voice, "Speciest."

Whitefur's chuckle crackled through the transmission. "See you soon. _Pride_ out."

Crisis averted Fox took Krystal's hand as the two of them made it back to the group. Looking at Katt, who looked both happy to see Krystal and panic stricken that she'd brought Fox with her, Fox said, "Katt, about what I said?"

The pink feline, sensing that an apology was on the way, bounded over to him and smooched him on the cheek. "All is forgiven, ya big dumb hunk."

His face going beet red from Katt's kiss, Fox managed to say, "Hey, I'm spoken for."

Turning her gaze to Krystal, Katt said to the blue vixen, "Wanna share?"

Laughing heartily as Fox looked about ready to burst into flame, she kissed Fox on the other cheek and then growled at Katt. "Hey, this is my zucchini."

"Oh god," Fox moaned, extricating himself from his girlfriend before things could get any more embarrassing. Walking over to Wolf he scuffed his boot against the ground. "Wolf..."

Wolf just shook his head. "Don't worry about it. I'll blow your wing off in a couple of weeks to work out my frustration."

"Just try it," Fox said, glaring at the lupine.

"Oh I will pup," Wolf assured him. "I will."

Next to Katt, Krystal looked in Marcella's direction. "How is she?"

"Shocked I'd say," Katt replied. "But I don't know what did it."

"The Krazoa said it was something about the future," Krystal told her.

Walking over to her sister, Fiora asked, "The future?"

"I don't know." Krystal shrugged, then looked around at the assembled group. "I do know one thing though."

"What?" Fiora hugged her sister.

Smiling, Krystal said, "We're in for quite a few more adventures."

 _ **THE END...**_

 _ **...For now that is.**_

* * *

 _ **A/N:**_ Well, there ya go, I finished a multi-chap for the first time since Cerinian Adventures. Wow. It has been two years now. Unless I'm forgetting something, which is entirely possible. Anyway, just a couple things to wrap this one up...

First off, yes I know I didn't show Marcella's test. And yes, I know that's BS. There is a reason, and it involves a future story that I'm just not ready to talk about yet. As this story was sort of a pilot episode for my whole AU though, and this story I am mysteriously referring to is a big part of it, I wanted to hint at it in this story. However, as the world building aspect for that future title is far from done I also didn't want to show anything too specific. But yes, it's total BS and I get it and you know where to yell at me.

And, in case any of you were still wondering, I have many longer term plans for this AU. This is not at all a one and done thing. In fact, I am already brain storming the next story, and it will involve James and Vixy and the original Star Fox team. And now that I've said that expect it to involve PanPan and MiMi going on a series of romantic dates, because that's usually what happens when I say I know what I'm doing next. Sorry Sani.

Now, I've prattled on long enough. I want to thank you all for reading this story. Even though it ended up being short I hope it was also sweet. There's more to come from me in the future, so stay tuned. Until next time, make sure to water the zucchini regularly...oh god, what have I become?

-geNeRaL fUrfuRFuRfur Fur

PS: Sorry not sorry Groundis.


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